Mark Senter

Mark L. Senter, 78, passed away, Tuesday, June 30, 2015 in Midwest City, Oklahoma. He was born July 6, 1936, on a farm east of Granby, Missouri, the second of two children born to Rufus and Bernice (Nunn) Senter.   Mark graduated from Granby High School in 1954 as class valedictorian. He attended Southwest Baptist College (now Southwest Baptist University) and graduated with an AA degree. Mark then attended Southwest Missouri State College (now Missouri State University) at Springfield, Missouri, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1959. Later he attended Kansas State University (now Pittsburg State University) receiving a Master of Arts degree in 1967, with a BS degree in Education. He attended graduate school at the University of Missouri during the summers of 1967 through 1970 and the academic year of 1969-1970, completing course work toward a PhD degree in American Literature.   He married Helen Long on April 7, 1957. They lived briefly in Springfield and then moved to Granby, Missouri in August of 1957, where Mark taught seventh grade for one year and then high school English for seven years. He then began teaching English Composition and American Literature at Southwest Baptist College, in Bolivar, Missouri, in 1966, where he taught five years before being caught in a faculty cutback in 1971. He and Helen moved to independence, Missouri where he taught at Truman High School from 1971-1977. After living for one year in Independence, they moved to south Kansas City, Missouri where he lived for five years and Mark commuted 18 miles to Truman High School.   Mark and Helen moved to Shawnee, Oklahoma in 1977, where he worked at Oklahoma Baptist University from 1977 to 1983, as Director of the University Center (now Geiger Center) and then as Director of Planned Giving. In January, 1984, they moved to Seminole, Oklahoma, where he began twelve years of serving as Minister of Education and Administration at First Baptist Church. From 1996 through 1998, he was minister of education at First Baptist Church in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, retiring on December 31, 1998. After retirement, he served a lengthy interim pastorate at Lakeview Baptist Church east of Norman, Oklahoma., and then as interim minister of education at Immanuel Baptist Church, Norman, Oklahoma. From 2007 to 2014, he served as pastor of the Etowah Baptist Church, east of Noble, Oklahoma.   In earlier years, Mark served several years as a bi-vocation pastor-teacher, serving as the first pastor of the Monark Baptist Church, near Neosho, Missouri from 1956 to 1963. He was pastor of the Wildwood Baptist Church, Joplin, Missouri, from 1963 to 1966. While attending graduate school at the University of Missouri, he was pastor of the Grandview Baptist Church from 1970-1971, east of Columbia, Missouri. While teaching at Truman High School, he was pastor of the Worland Baptist Church, southwest of Butler, Missouri.   He was preceded in death by his parents.   Mark is survived by Helen, his wife of 58 years; their daughters Marla Morris and her husband Chris of Fort Worth, Texas and Mindy Campbell and her husband Ron, both former Seminole residents, now of Prague, Oklahoma, his sister Wana Senter of Newtonia, Missouri, thirteen grandchildren and eleven great grandchildren.   Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m., Friday, July 3, 2015 at the Robinson Street Baptist Church at 801 E. Robinson St. in Norman, Oklahoma with Rev. Bill Blair and Rev. Glen Pence officiating. Burial will follow at the Denver Cemetery, east of Norman, Oklahoma.   Visitation will be at the Swearingen Funeral Home, 1001 N. Milt Phillips Ave. , Seminole, Oklahoma on Thursday, July 2, 2015, from 8:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M.   Casket bearers will be, Christopher Morris, Ron Campbell, Glenn Erwin, Warren McWilliams, Meredith Long, and Joseph Ankney.   Swearingen Funeral Home in Seminole, Oklahoma is in charge of arrangements. Funeral Information: July 3, 2015, 2:00 PM Robinson Street Baptist Church - Norman located at 801 E. Robinson Street, Norman, OK