Dr. Glenn Wesley McCoy March 26, 2025

Glenn Wesley McCoy, 91, of Portales, NM, passed away on March 26, 2025.

Glenn was born on the 4th of July, 1933, to Raymond Wesley McCoy and Elizabeth Irene McDonald McCoy in Hatfield, Arkansas. He was the oldest of four children and grew up in rural northwestern Arkansas. He played basketball and baseball for his small school. As he said, everybody played or you didn’t have a team. Glenn was baptized at First Baptist Church, Hatfield, at the age of 17.

After he graduated from Hatfield High in 1951, he went on to study English at Ouachita Baptist College (B.A.). Having been called to the ministry as a student at Ouachita, he then went on to Ft. Worth, TX to study religion at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (B.D./Th.M.) He later received his Masters from ENMU (M.A.) and his doctorate from SWBTS (D.Min).

Glenn started his career as a pastor of First Baptist Church, Ruidoso Downs in 1959. In 1961 he became pastor at Mountain View Baptist Church in Roswell, NM. Two years later, the Air Force base in Roswell closed. After guidance from a deacon in the Air Force to move on, Glenn felt called to student ministry and became the Baptist Student Union director at Highlands University in Las Vegas from 1963 to 1971. While in Las Vegas, Glenn served as board chair for the consolidation vote of East and West Las Vegas. When the BSU director position became part-time, he accepted the opportunity to become BSU Director at ENMU. There he served as director until 1998. Glenn also taught as a professor of religion and philosophy at ENMU, and at other campuses including Wayland Baptist campus at Cannon AFB and Clovis Community College.

While in Portales, Glenn became involved in many university and community activities. He served as interim pastor for Crossroads Baptist Church and Causey Baptist Church. He was an active Kiwanis member, served on the Meals on Wheels board, participated in local Habitat for Humanity projects, and was a member of the Roosevelt County Planning and Zoning committee among other local interests.

Glenn wrote many of his class materials for the courses he taught at ENMU. He also wrote for the Baptist Sunday School Board, Biblical Illustrator, Proclaim Magazine, Sunday School Adults, and The Adult Teacher.

While attending Ouachita Baptist University, Glenn met the sister of Dorla Deane Medford. Glenn then worked for Dorla’s father in Oregon for two summers and fell in love. They married on August 29, 1957. Dorla was Glenn’s life-long partner in life, family, and ministry. She preceded him in death in 2017. They raised three children: Ann, Wes, and Stan.

After retirement in 1998, Glenn continued as a part-time teacher and writer. He loved his St. Louis Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys, tending a large garden, genealogy, travel, and he always enjoyed the company of “country people.”

Glenn was preceded in death by his wife, Dorla Deane McCoy; his parents, Raymond Wesley McCoy and Elizabeth Irene McDonald McCoy; and his brother, Raymond Dale McCoy. He is survived by his three children: Ann McCoy (Edwin Chavez), Wes McCoy (Brenda McCoy), and Stan McCoy (Analee McCoy). His grandchildren: Floyd Longbottom Jr. (Jamie Longbottom), Brittany McCoy, Levi McCoy (Janelle McCoy), Kelsey Lindsey (Kyle Lindsey), Madison McCoy (Will Martinez), and his great-grandchildren: Carson, Caiden, Drayton, Orion, Aviana, and Ellison Deane. He is also survived by his sisters Frieda Romine and Nancy Richardson.

A private graveside service will be held at Portales Cemetery on March 29, 2025. A public memorial service will be held at First Baptist Church, Portales, on Saturday, April 26th at 11 am. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the (Glenn and) Dorla McCoy Scholarship fund at ENMU or Meals on Wheels of Portales.

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