Dr. Bill L. Roper

Bill Lee Roper was born September 28, 1947, in Dozier, Alabama. He was born to Willie D. Roper and Mary Allice Roper. As a young child his family moved to Atchison, Kansas. He completed his high school education and graduated from Atchison High School in 1966. He enjoyed playing sports and cars.

Bill married his high school sweetheart Dorothy Roper on September 3, 1967, in Atchison, Kansas. He joined the Marine Corp in 1968 and moved to San Diego and shortly after his wife followed. He served his country in the Vietnam War. When he ended his time in the military in 1972, at which time he moved to Kansas City, MO., where he resided with his wife and began raising his family. He lived with his wife until God called him home and he loved her with his last breath and all his heart.

Bill was called into the ministry and was initially called to work with the youth. He became the youth minister at Second Missionary Baptist Church and served as a Deacon and eventually an Elder. He was a successful leader of the Youth in Action program at SMBC. He lived his life to make others life better through the word of God. He also served the youth in the Grandview School District by starting an after-school program called “Youth in Harmony”, this was to give children an alternative of activities after school. He worked also as the youth director for the City Union Mission for several years. He ended his career at City Union Mission at a time when his wife needed him home. He did not stop working at that time he began pursuing higher education as he graduated with not only a bachelor's degree in Business Administration but also two masters Christian Education and Religious Counseling. He later received his Doctor of Philosophy in Religious counseling. He was acknowledged as Who’s Who in America, and he was honored as “Man of the Year” by the Christian Counseling Association.

Bill has worked in different fields to include shoe store, moving/delivery service, youth director, and coach. His second career was an Elder at Trinity Temple and he served in the capacity of marriage counselor. He believed in the covenant of marriage therefore he began along with his wife to provide marriage counseling. He developed yearly marriage retreats for couples that were in all stages of development within their marriage. He and his wife, Dorothy continued to offer marriage counseling once he was the Pastor of his church, True Light. He retired from being a Pastor but continued to counsel under his non-for-profit agency “Abundant Life Biblical Counseling and Training”, until his health would not allow for him to counsel any longer.

Until his health became an issue, he was active in church, community, traveling, and anything that allowed for him to learn additional information regarding counseling, and electronics.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents Willie D. and Mary Alice Roper, his oldest brother Willie Roper, sister Mary Russell, younger brother William Roper, along with his mother and father-in-law, grandparents, several aunts/uncles and cousins.

Bill is survived by his wife, Dorothy Roper, Grandview, MO, his two children Ebony McNulty (Phillip), Grandview, MO, and Brian Roper (Menneka), Overland Park, KS. He is also survived by his brother Jesse Roper (Marie), Kansas City, KS; his grandchildren Bianca Roper, Chicago, IL, Norris Tanner and Zion Tanner of Grandview, MO, Tyriq McNulty and Maliq McNulty of Kansas City, MO, along with sisters and brothers-in- law, nieces and nephews, and a host of other relatives and friends.

Bill has made an impression on many youth, schools, Pastors, marriages, friends, and family. Therefore, his legacy lives in each of us.

A Funeral Service for Bill will be held Saturday, January 29, 2022 at 12:00pm at Trinity Temple, 11922 Food Lane, Grandview, Missouri 64030. A Committal Service with Full Military Honors will follow in Mount Moriah Cemetery South, 10507 Holmes Road, Kansas City, MO 64131.

In lieu of flowers the family requests donations to Christian Church Foundation, for Adam D. Anderson Scholarship Fund, Post Office Box 1007, Indianapolis, Indiana 46206-1007