Rev. Dewey J. Santmier

Rev. Dewey James Santmier went home to be with his Lord and Savior on Christmas, 2017.

He is survived by his wife Beverly of forty-two years; daughter, Jennifer (Leon) Farineau; son, Joshua Santmier; grandsons, Zachary and Aidan Farineau, and brother, Rev. Darwood Santmier.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Rev. and Mrs. Dwight J. Santmier, and sisters, Vena Cox and Ann Douglas.

Rev. Santmier was born September 11, 1944, in Glens Falls, NY, but lived most of his life in Florida. He graduated from Edgewater High School in Orlando, and Tennessee Temple University and Seminary in Chattanooga. His lifelong focus was preaching and teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, primarily as a Christian school teacher. He coached a wide variety of sports, and sponsored many school activities, especially speech and award-winning debate teams. Dewey enjoyed a diversity of interests, including hunting, fishing, sports, gun collecting, guitar playing, speech and debate, history, reading on a wide range of subjects, and writing poetry.

He was most of all a committed follower of Jesus Christ, and a serious student of the Word of God. He spent many a Sunday afternoon preaching at nursing homes or jails or, at one time, a Spanish-speaking mission. He enjoyed teaching and had a genuine love for young people as he invested in their lives in the classroom and through their extracurricular activities. Dewey especially delighted in being a father and grandfather and thoroughly enjoyed spending time with his children and grandchildren.