Celebration of Life Memorial Service can be viewed at the following link:

https://vimeo.com/400846077

Harvey Dean Rutherford was born on August 3, 1932 in Salisbury, NC to James and Mildred Rutherford. He had one older sister, Ann, another brother, Jim, and a younger brother, Shan. Dean went to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Sunday, March 15, 2020.

When Dean was two years old, his family moved to Tulsa, OK. Dean graduated from Tulsa Central High in 1950. He then attended Cincinnati Bible Seminary for two years and completed his degree at Atlanta Christian College. He also took many courses in Religion & Theology at Oklahoma City University. He married Patricia Louise Beattie in 1952 in Atlanta, GA. They celebrated 67 years of marriage this year.

As a student, Dean preached in Whitesburg, GA. He then moved to Grundy, VA to be an assistant to Preacher Clarence Greenleaf. His first daughter, Dreama, was born in Virginia. He returned to Tulsa, OK to be assistant to his father at the great Cincinnati Avenue Christian Church. His children Debbie and Dudley were born during that time. His next church was Woodlawn Christian Church in Wichita, KS, and his sons Dean and David were born. The church then moved to a new location and became Countryside Christian Church. After a tremendous growth and 25 years of ministry, Dean became the Senior Pastor at Northwest Christian Church, in Tampa, FL. In 1980, he returned to Oklahoma to preach at Christ's Church in Yukon for 15 years. In 1995, he came to Fresno to be Associate Pastor to his son, David, at Northside Christian Church, which is now called CrossCity Church, located 2777 E. Nees Ave.

Dean officiated hundreds of weddings and funerals. He preached in many states, including Alaska, and in countries such as Russia and Jamaica. He shared the Gospel to countless people. He was a great church builder and leader. He was known for his disarming sense of humor, but more importantly, he was consumed with pointing people to Jesus through God-anointed sermons and poignant poems.

Dean is survived by his beloved wife, Pattie, five children, 12 grandchildren, and 13 great grandchildren.