Richard Wesley Luebbert, 91, of Shelbyville, father of Kentucky Woman’s Missionary Union Executive Director Joy Bolton, died March 4. Born July 20, 1923, in St. Louis, Mo, Luebbert, was a Baptist pastor, Bible teacher, and author.

Luebbert graduated from Hannibal-LaGrange College, Missouri Valley College and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He served as pastor of churches in Missouri, Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana, serving just three churches following seminary. His final staff position was as associate pastor for senior adults at First Baptist Church of New Orleans. He retired in 2000.

Luebbert served on numerous boards and committees in Baptist work. He wrote for Baptist newspapers and for Baptist Sunday School Board periodicals. He served a term as moderator of the Baptist Association of New Orleans and as vice-president of the Louisiana Baptist Convention. He was also a special consultant in senior adult ministry with the former Baptist Sunday School Board (now LifeWay).

After his retirement, Luebbert, and his wife, Dorothy, were instrumental in the start of Faith Baptist Church in New Orleans in 2001. They moved to Shelbyville in 2002, where they merged households with their daughter, Joy, and son-in-law.

Luebbert continued his ministry by teaching Sunday School at First Baptist Church of Shelbyville and began work on the completion of “Jesus for the 21st Century,” a unified version of the four gospels. His book was published in 2011.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 67 years, Dorothy Embree. He is survived by his children, Joy Bolton, Wesley Luebbert; grandchildren, Carol Bolton and Roscoe Bolton; nephews, Morton Luebbert III, Scott Luebbert, Michael Luebbert; and niece, Maria Luebbert.

Expressions of sympathy may be made to: Kentucky WMU Heritage Fund, Kentucky Baptist Foundation, PO Box 436389, Louisville, KY 40253-6389, or Kentucky Touch Tomorrow Today Endowment Fund, WMU Foundation, 100 Missionary Ridge, Birmingham, AL 35242.