William W. Grasham

William Wesley Grasham, 85, of Abilene, passed away at Hendrick Medical Center on Saturday, March 19, 2016. A funeral service will be held on Saturday, March 26, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. at the Minter Lane Church of Christ. A visitation with the family will be on Friday, March 25, 2016 from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. at Piersall-Benton Funeral Directors, 733 Butternut Street.

Bill was born on August 2, 1930 in Phoenix, Arizona to John and Olive Grasham. He served in the United States Navy and played on the Pacific Fleet Championship baseball team in 1949. He was voted the most valuable player that year and was offered several major league baseball contracts upon leaving the Navy. His desire to go to college resulted in his not pursuing a career in baseball, but rather in him becoming a preacher, which then became his passion for the remainder of his life. On May 4, 1952, he married the love of his life, Eleanor Marie Spainhower in Antioch, California. They were married for 63 years.

Bill preached for over sixty years in Texas, California, Arizona, Germany and Scotland. He received a B.A. in 1962 and an M.A. in History and Bible in 1968 from Pepperdine University. He studied at Fuller Theological Seminary and received a Ph.D. from the California Graduate School of Theology in 1970. He also received a M.Div. from Abilene Christian University in 1975. From 1975 to 1978, Bill and his family lived in Kaiserslautern, Germany, where he preached for an American military congregation. Then they moved to Aberdeen, Scotland so he could further his education. While there, Bill helped establish a local church congregation. He was awarded a Ph.D. in 1985 from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland upon completion of a dissertation that examined the nature of the Qumran community, the writers of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Bill did post-doctoral studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and also participated in archaeological digs at Tel Dor in Israel. For over fifteen years, he taught Old and New Testament and Biblical Theology courses at the Center for Christian Education in Dallas, Texas. Over the years, Bill also taught courses at both McMurry and Abilene Christian University. He retired in 2005 but continued to present seminars for graduate students on the Bible and archaeology and on the gospel in the Old Testament. Bill was a life-long student of the Bible and was author of the two-volume Truth for Today Commentary on the Book of Genesis.

Bill and Eleanor spent many of their years together in Dallas and attended the Preston Road Church of Christ but also lived in Abilene five different times for a total of 18 years. In Abilene, they attended the Minter Lane Church of Christ.

Bill and Eleanor greatly enjoyed traveling. Some highlights were their travels to Mediterranean countries such as Greece, Italy, Turkey, Egypt and three trips to the Holy Land, one of which included participating in archaeological digs and camping out in the wilderness of Mount Sinai.

Preceding Bill in death were his wife, Eleanor Marie Spainhower Grasham, his parents, John and Olive Grasham and a granddaughter, Rachel Blasingame. He is survived by his sons William Grasham (Toni) of Houston and John Grasham (Judy) of Garland; daughters Julie Blasingame (Guy) of Mesquite and Terri Peterson (Dempsey) of Abilene; and his brother, John Arthur Grasham of San Rafael, California and sister Oliver Fletcher of Peyson, Arizona as well as 17 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren and many other extended family members and close friends.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Bill’s memory to the Rachael Blasingame Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 851968, Mesquite Texas 75185; Ghana West African Missions, P.O. Box 40, Searcy AR 72145; IHCF African Christian Hospitals, 102 N. Locust Street, Searcy, AR 72143; or Faith Works of Abilene, 1229 N. Mockingbird, Abilene, Texas 79603.

Condolences can be offered to the family online at www.pbfuneraldirectors.com.