Liberty University remembers longtime educator, sign language interpreter Sue Willmington
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October 15, 2024 : By Office of Communications & Public Engagement
Liberty University mourns the loss of professor and longtime deaf ministry leader Marjorie “Sue” Willmington, who passed away on Sunday, Oct. 13, at the age of 85.
Willmington was the original interpreter on “Old-Time Gospel Hour,” a nationally syndicated television program that featured the Sunday services of Thomas Road Baptist Church (TRBC) with the Rev. Jerry Falwell, Liberty’s founder. She was an advocate for deaf education, teaching children and college students for over 40 years. Through her work as an interpreter and educating and mentoring future interpreters, she reached countless people with the Gospel.
Sue Willmington was the wife of the late Dr. Harold Willmington, also a longtime faculty member at Liberty and a best-selling author and globally recognized scholar, who died on Oct. 15, 2018.
“We have lost a great woman of faith and one of our pioneers at Liberty University,” said Liberty University Chancellor Jonathan Falwell. “Sue Willmington had a heart for the deaf community and allowed God to use her to spread the Gospel in Lynchburg and abroad. She will be deeply missed by the Liberty and Thomas Road families. The Willmingtons have left a mighty legacy here and have showed us all how to live a life of true Christian service.”
“As we grieve this loss, we rejoice in knowing that Sue is now in her eternal home with our Father and reunited with Harold,” said Liberty Co-founder Dr. Elmer Towns. “We thank God for this precious life and for the way He used this couple to do His Kingdom Work and impact generations of Champions for Christ.”
The Willmingtons came to Lynchburg in 1972, at Falwell’s invitation for Harold to start a Bible Institute. Sue helped establish a department structured to meet the needs of deaf people in the church and its related ministries. She taught several classes on signing and oral interpreting, as well as classes for deaf adults and children. She started a program for the deaf at Liberty Christian Academy (LCA) in the early 1980s — long before state-implemented programs were in place — in which she aided in hiring qualified teachers and assistants for deaf education.
When Sue first interpreted for the deaf on “The Old Time Gospel Hour” in 1973, there was no closed captioning; she appeared in a round inset that led her to become affectionately known as “the lady in the circle.” In the 17 years while she interpreted for the television program, it was said that her face and hands were seen more than any other television personality nationwide.
Sue made regular visits to schools and graduations, inviting deaf students to Liberty and Willmington School of the Bible. She also made monthly visits to the state school for the deaf. As her ministry grew during the 1980s, the Willmingtons hosted trips overseas to several countries, including Korea, Japan, Israel, Egypt, Jordan, England and Switzerland, bringing the Gospel to deaf people internationally.
Sue and Harold were married for 57 years before his passing. They are survived by one son, Matthew L. Willmington, and three grandchildren, Nathan P. Willmington, Carissa Hassett, and Abigail Willmington.
Visitation is on Thursday, Oct. 17, from 10-11 a.m., at Thomas Road Baptist Church, followed by a celebration of faith and life at 11 a.m. She will be laid to rest at the Jerry Falwell Memorial Garden on campus, alongside her husband.