Smith, Oxford

Beloved collegiate ministry worker dies

Oxford Smith, a longtime campus minister and collegiate ministry associate with the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions (SBOM), died Feb. 15. He was 83.

Smith, a graduate of Orrville High School and Auburn University, earned a master’s degree in religious education from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He also served in the Army.

He was deeply committed to faith formation in college students and dedicated his life to collegiate ministry, ultimately retiring from SBOM.

Rick Lance, SBOM executive director, said Smith had a “unique opportunity” to touch the lives of countless students during his decades of service.

“I can remember well how he interacted with impressionable young people who were seeking God’s will for their lives as college and university students. Oxford was there for them as a wise and personable counselor and friend,” Lance said. “His love for the Lord and his love for the ministry to which God called him were evident in his life in a daily way. His life and witness continue to speak.”

Smith is survived by his wife, Phyllis Ann; two children; and five grandchildren. (TAB)