Obituary of Fred F. Kerr

Fred F. Kerr, evangelist, died on December 19, 2020.  He was 83. 

He was born and raised in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.  He and his devoted wife, Mary came to Columbia, South Carolina in 1978 for Mr. Kerr to attend Columbia Bible College and Graduate School (CIU). 

The biggest day in his life was December 21, 1968.  That day Fred trusted in Jesus Christ to pay his sin debt.  He received the free gift of eternal life.  That day he truly received that immediate, supernatural, conversion event.  It totally changed his life.  Religion lacks power.  Jesus changed my life.

From the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Mr. Kerr received a B.S. (1959) and M.S. in Educational Psychology (1972).  After some eleven years in the Knoxville, coat and tie, business world he joyfully departed around 1971.

From 1973 to 1978 Mr. Kerr and his wife were Campus Staff Members with Intervarsity Christian Fellowship.  They served students at Florida State University and University of West Florida.  He then attended Columbia Bible College and Seminary (aka CIU), receiving a Master of Divinity degree (1982).

Afterwards he and wife Mary worked with Chinese international students at the University of South Carolina for five years.  Following this he was a self-supporting prison evangelist for many years in Columbia.  He was a volunteer chaplain at Lexington County Detention Center and also ministered at Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center and Watkins PreRelease Center.

Mr. Kerr discovered that truly God is no respecter of age nor education.  He started a lawn care business to support his prison environment.  He believed that a little dirt on the hands could only strengthen his rapport with many inmates.  The apostle Paul supported himself as a tentmaker (Acts 18.3). 

Favorite sayings in his prison Bible studies included:  “I would not want to believe something I was not proud of.  I love Jesus and don’t care who knows it!! (spoken loud and most emphatically) . . . When the world’s on fire, the Truth will stand . . . only what’s done for Christ will last.”

For decades Mr. Kerr was led to wear Christian witness shirts.  Some favorites:  “What can wash away your sin?  Nothing but the blood of Jesus”; “Trust Jesus”; “Supernatural, Free Gift, One Time Event:  The New Birth.”

Mr.  Kerr and his wife Mary were active members at Grace Baptist Church of West Columbia for many years.  It was their life!

Surviving are: my beloved wife, Mary, her three sisters and two brothers, cousins, nieces and nephews; my sister, Patricia Kerr Shannon, husband Pat Shannon, their five children, Scott Shannon, Keith Shannon, Amy Hollifield, Rachel Denny, Jay Shannon and their families; my good friends including Thur/Sat men’s Bible studies.

Graveside funeral services will be held at 11 AM on Tuesday, December 29^th in Evergreen Cemetery in Murfreesboro, TN. The family will receive friends at the home of his cousin Newton Molloy following the service.

A memorial service will be held at 11 AM on Saturday, January 2, 2021 at Grace Baptist Church in West Columbia, SC. The family will receive friends from 9:30 AM until the hour of service at the church.

In lieu of flowers the family suggests that memorials be made to one of the following organizations, Grace Baptist Church Missions, 416 Denham Ave, West Columbia, SC 29169; Columbia International University, http://www.ciu.edu/; Samaritan's Purse, https://www.samaritanspurse.org/; Christian Broadcasting Network designate: Operation Blessing, https://www1.cbn.com/  and Bible Broadcasting Network, https://bbn1.bbnradio.org/english/ . 

Thompson Funeral Home of Lexington is assisting the Kerr family.