Rev. Bill Zumwalt

Willis Hosmer Zumwalt, known by his friends and detractors as Bill, passed away on September 6th, 2022 in Oklahoma City at age 89. Before passing quietly in his sleep from congestive heart failure, his final words were, “I feel better.” Surprisingly, his death had nothing to do with athlete's foot or scurvy or the four hip replacements.

Born in Sacramento in 1933 to Edgar and Mary, he grew to be a strapping young lad who not only excelled in football but joined the marines, where he served as a Drill Instructor in San Diego, and was permanently disfigured with a crooked nose bravely fighting against the dastardly Navy “boat-rowers.”

As a veteran of the Korean War, upon his seasick return to the states and honorable discharge, he enrolled in San Jose State University, where he earned a master's degree in Physical Education, while somehow in the process tricking the beautiful and saintly Nancy Zellmer to agree to marry him in 1961.

After a brief but highly successful career coaching football, wrestling, tennis, and teaching Adaptive Physical Education for those with disabilities and injuries at Sacramento Senior High School, he gave up “Cookie’s” hamburgers to pursue being a missionary with the Church of the Nazarene in Taiwan.

After graduation from Nazarene Theological Seminary, Bill entered language school to study Chinese. When his wife, Nancy, became seriously ill and they had to drop out, Bill returned to teaching in Sacramento as a 6th-grade teacher, while nursing her back to health.

Two years later they arrived in Taiwan with their son John in 1971. Bill fought cobras, huge spiders, typhoons, earthquakes, bad drivers, and deadly diseases while learning three of the most difficult languages in the world. Despite his IQ, he became president of the Taiwan Nazarene Theological College and Mission Director, though his first love for living among the Paiwan Tribe in the south never wavered.

An accident and a surgical error made it impossible to continue serving in Taiwan. After 18 years they returned to the US in 1988. Bill then completed his doctoral studies at Biola University, while tirelessly working with a multi-congregational church in San Diego where 7 churches, speaking 7 different languages, in an ethnically diverse area of the city met on one campus. As the multi-congregational pastor-at-large, he mentored English as a Second Language pastors through the required ordination courses and helped smooth cultural misunderstandings.

In 2006, Bill and Nancy sold everything again and made their final move to Oklahoma City where their son and his family lived.

Before passing, Bill forged an 89-year trail of laughter, generosity, compassion, and wisdom. He will be greatly missed by his wife of 60 years, Nancy, his only child, John, and his wife Jamie, his grandchildren, Jessi, Josiah, Jael, Jewel, James, and great-grandchild, Ruby. While Bill's passing deeply saddens his whole family, there is a rumor floating around that he told some of the nurses at Epworth Villa Retirement Community that this was all just an elaborate plan to get out of singing in the vespers choir.

The memorial service will be held at the Epworth Villa Chapel on September 17, 2022, at 10 AM. In lieu of flowers, those wishing to honor his life can make a donation in his name directly to Joe’s Addiction (PO Box 94811 Oklahoma City, OK 73143), a nonprofit 501c3 coffee shop that serves as a day shelter for those experiencing homelessness.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.baggerley.com for the Zumwalt family.