Billy Vick Bartlett, a Lambertville man who served the Lord as a Baptist college professor and pastor, died at his home on Feb. 4 of unknown causes. He was 77. His wife, Gloria, said she believes the cause of death was probably cardiac arrest but said there was no specific diagnosis on his death certificate. She said he had been hospitalized four times since last July with ailments that included kidney disease and congestive heart failure, yet seemed to rebound each time. In late January, he was feeling so well he asked to be removed from hospice care, and required no pain medication, she said. "I was standing right next to him. We were talking and everything was fine," Mrs. Bartlett said. "Billy said, 'I love you, Glo.' Then, he had this instantaneous cold, blank stare on his face." She said that when paramedics arrived to administer aid, there was no sign of a heartbeat. "It was instantaneous," Mrs. Bartlett said. "The Lord was just very, very gracious to him and took him peacefully." Mr. Bartlett was born Feb. 1, 1943 in Detroit to Billy Murray and Evelyn Rae Bartlett. He came from a family with a long line of preachers. His grandfather, G. Beauchamp Vick, was pastor of Temple Baptist Church of Detroit from the 1950s to 1970s, and also was a president and co-founder of Baptist Bible College in Springfield, Mo., where Mr. Bartlett taught for 20 years. Mr. Bartlett also served as chairman of Baptist Bible College's history department and as dean of students during those two decades. Mr. Bartlett was a 1961 graduate of Kimball High School in Royal Oak, Mich. He earned his bachelors degree from Bob Jones University in Greenville, S.C., in 1966, and his masters from Missouri State University in 1969. He earned his PhD from California Graduate School of Theology. He became part of the Baptist Bible College faculty in 1966, and taught there until he became pastor of Toledo Baptist Church at Douglas and Alexis Roads in Toledo in 1986. That church became part of Wyldewood Baptist Church at 7947 Douglas Rd. in Lambertville a few years ago. His wife described him as a "very introspective and very subdued" man whose life was focused on serving the Lord. The couple met in church when they were young children. "He was always there for the people he knew and loved," Mrs. Bartlett said. She said his "whole life was centered around God's word." "I've never known bill not wanting to serve the Lord," Mrs. Bartlett said. His youngest son, Brett Bartlett, now Wyldewood Baptist Church pastor, was a co-pastor with his father for five years. After that, his father assumed the title of pastor emeritus and continued to preach on occasion while Brett Bartlett became senior pastor. "He was a very, very intense, competitive, driven man who was simultaneously compassionate, tender-hearted, and self-effacing," Brett Bartlett said. He said his father was actually "very shy," except for when his religion was questioned. "If it came time to taking a stand for Christ, he became a lion," Brett Bartlett said. "It was a quite a thing to observe that over the years." He said the only time his father expressed contempt was when he sensed someone was a hypocrite, especially when it came to religion. The senior Mr. Bartlett authored three books: A History of Baptist Separatism , published in 1972; Beginnings, The Pictorial History of the Baptist Bible Fellowship Volume I , published in 1975, and Roots and Origins of Baptist Fundamentalism , which was published in 1984 and co-authored with James O. Combs. His hobbies included golfing. "Whatever he tried to do, he always wanted to be the best," his wife said. The couple was married on Aug. 19, 1966. Survivors include his wife, Gloria Bartlett; their sons, Blake Bartlett and Brett Bartlett; four grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews. He also is survived by his brothers Larry Bartlett, Mike McNeilance, Danny McNeilance, and Mark Bartlett, and sisters Beth Larabee, Carrie Backman, and Ruth Morris. Services are at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Wyldewood Baptist Church, 7947 Douglas Rd., Lambertville. Visitation is from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday at Walker Funeral Home, 5155 W. Sylvania Ave., Toledo. The family requests that any memorials be made to the Mission Fund of Wyldewood Baptist Church, Post Office Box 707, Lambertville, Mich., 48144. This is a news story by Tom Henry. Contact him at [email protected] or 419-724-6079.