Rev. Richard Lorton

The Rev. Richard A. Lorton was born in Toledo, Ohio on June 2, 1934, to Vera and Robert Lorton, Sr. He was the sixth of ten children in the Lorton family. Richard was 87 when he was called home to his Lord and Savior on March 25, 2022. At the time of his passing, he was at home with hospice care and surrounded by his family in Seguin. Texas.

Richard faced many challenges in his early years including fighting as an amateur boxer in the Fly Weight Division and winning a Golden Glove title at the age of fifteen. He left his schooling at age seventeen to join the Navy and was later given an honorable medical discharge. He met his wife, then Barbara A. Barnes, in 1953 and they were married that same year on December 26th. Richard was nineteen and Barbara was sixteen at the time of their nuptials. Together they had a son, Michael, born in 1954 and a daughter Susan born in 1957.

Richard worked for Libby Owens Ford Glass and for the Penn Central Railroad in Toledo, Ohio. He later received a GED and went on to earn a bachelor's degree from the University of Toledo in 1975. With his wife and daughter, he moved to Fort Worth, Texas, where he attended the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and earned a master's degree of divinity in 1978. After graduation, he was called to minister at the Maranatha Southern Baptist Church in Indianapolis, Indiana where he served as senior pastor for five years. He went on to lead a congregation as senior pastor at the Strongsville Baptist Church in Strongsville, Ohio until his retirement from the ministry. After leaving the ministry, he received his certification in education and did substitute teaching at the high school level. Richard was beloved by his students and had a special relationship with the children he taught. After retirement, he and his wife Barbara returned to Texas for the warmer weather and to be close to their daughter and her family. He resided for twenty-one years in Seguin, Texas until his death. His legacy is left in the kindness he showed others.

Richard is survived by his wife of 68 years, Barbara and his children, son, Dr. Michael Lorton, (wife) Dr. Christy Mc Neely Lorton; daughter, Dr. Susan Lorton Boullioun, (husband) Wes Boullioun; his grandchildren, Jessica Lorton and (husband) Alex Lin, Holly Lorton and (husband) Travis Smith, Hillary Lorton, Alex Lorton and (wife) Dr. Julie Lytton Lorton, along with his great grandchildren, Grant and Clara Lorton, and Luke Boullioun. He is also survived by his sister, Rose Mason, and niece, Emma Verdin, as well as many other family members and close friends.

A Memorial Service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on May 7, 2022 at McQueeney Baptist Church.  In lieu of flowers, the family request donations be made in memory of Rev. Richard A. Lorton to the McQueeney Baptist Church, or GRMC Hospice in Seguin, Texas.