Dale Travis

Dale Travis was born July 6, 1950, outside Wills Point, Texas, to Raymond and Ozella Travis. He was the fifth of seven sons. He was preceded in death by his parents, an infant brother, and an infant granddaughter. He is survived by his wife of forty-five years Linda, son Joel and wife Janet of Amarillo, son Jared and wife Celena of Taiyuan, China, son Jonathan and wife Rachael of Amarillo, and daughter Janna and husband Tommy of Amarillo. God blessed Dale and Linda with 20 grandchildren and 1 great grandson. In addition, Dale is survived by his brothers and their families. At the age of 9, Dale accepted Christ as his savior and followed God's calling to fulltime ministry at the age of 17. After he graduated from high school at Wills Point in 1968, he attended Jacksonville Bible College. While he was there, he met his future wife Linda Witts, and they married in 1970. He studied at West Texas State University, and then pursued a Masters in Theology at Dallas Theological Seminary, graduating in 1983. Dale's ministry began at the age of 19 when he first pastored in Fairfield, Texas. Later, the Lord led him to serve as pastor in Brownfield and Amarillo before serving as a youth pastor in Amarillo and Dallas. Thereafter, God blessed his ministry pastoring in Midlothian, Tyler, and then returning to Amarillo in 1988. In 1994, God led Dale to start Family Life Church. For the past 22 years, he was deeply committed to the people and ministry of Family Life. He pioneered a contemporary style church, loved performing skits and singing modern worship songs, preaching relevant and creative sermons, yet never once compromising the absolute truth of the Bible and salvation we have in Jesus. Dale is remembered as a pastor who gently gave wisdom and counseling to those in need, had a unique gift of remembering everyone by name, and labored so diligently to grow the church. Also, his ministry expanded beyond the church to serving in the local Golden Spread Emmaus and Cornerstone Outreach Ministries. Dale's standard for the ministry was one of excellence and endurance. Throughout his 46 years of ministry, Dale plundered hell and populated heaven. He shared the gospel and led thousands to salvation, preached thousands of sermons, officiated at hundreds of weddings and funerals, and was treasured as a beloved shepherd by all who were members of the churches he pastored. Dale was a pastor in the truest sense as he shepherded with love all the people in his life. Dale's family loved and admired him as a husband, father, and grandfather. To Linda, Dale was the love of her life. They partnered in ministry and faithfully uplifted each other to live out the calling God placed in their lives. They both enjoyed traveling, walking the Great Wall of China, visiting civil war battlefields, going to the beach, listening to history lectures, reading history and geography books and magazines, and loving each other. To the kids, Dad was a constant source of security and entertainment. Dad would laugh at our silly jokes and tell stories of his childhood. He officiated at our weddings, made Christmas so much fun, and always burned the hamburgers and hot dogs and pop-tarts. To the grandkids, Papa was the biggest man in town. He anointed and prayed over each one at their baby dedication, wept when we lost one, officiated at the wedding of his granddaughter, and bought donuts and ice cream. As a husband, father, and grandfather, he will be remembered through the priceless memories and experiences we shared together. "Thank you for showing us how to love Christ and each other. We will treasure your memory and honor your legacy in ministry and family. See you soon." Services will be at Family Life Church at 11 am on Thursday, May 5. A private graveside service will be held afterward at Llano East. The family requests memorials to be sent to Family Life Church, 3900 SW 58th, Amarillo, Texas 79110, in memory of Pastor Dale Travis.

Visitation Schedule

Cox Funeral Home 4180 Canyon Drive Amarillo, TX 79109 Wednesday, May 04, 2016 6:00-8:00 P.M.

Service Schedule

Family Life Church 3900 West 58th Street Amarillo, TX 79110 Thursday, May 05, 2016 11:00 A.M.