Longtime Lafayette pastor, founder of Black chamber of commerce dies at 91

One of the founders of the Greater Southwest Louisiana Black Chamber of Commerce died in late December, the organization said in a press release.

Bishop Roy Winbush, who founded the organization along with JeNelle Chargois and Don Cravins Sr. in 2003, died at 91 on Dec. 19. A service in his honor will be held Wednesday at 10 a.m. at Gethsemane Church of God in Christ in Lafayette, where he served as the pastor.

“Bishop Roy Winbush’s loss leaves behind a great void," Cravins said in a release. "He was a man of great character and integrity who will be remembered most for the humility he displayed while serving others. He could always be found fighting on the side of righteousness. It was an honor to have stood with him, and even more of an honor to have called him a friend. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife Mae, his children and all the family and friends he leaves behind.”

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Winbush was born May 7, 1930, according to his obituary. He was the fifth of six children born to Pastor Leroy D. Winbush and Olivia Simon Winbush. He was a student in Crowley public schools and was the valedictorian in 1949 at Crowley Industrial High School.

He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Southern University A&M College. While in college, he was the class president and a news reporter for the campus newspaper.

Winbush attended Union Theological Seminary in New York, received his Master of Divinity Degree from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and received his Doctor of Divinity Degree from C.H. Mason Theological Seminary in Atlanta, Georgia.

He also was honored with two additional doctorates, according to the obituary.

Winbush was a 1st lieutenant in the U.S. Army, serving in Korea. In 1949, he received American Legion Award. He preached his first message in Pusan, Korea, a sermon titled, “God wants a Man.”

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Winbush and his wife, Mae C. Winbush, established the Gethsemane Christian Academy in Lafayette in 1979, as well as the LaPetite Academy. He and his wife also co-founded the Roy-Mae Winbush School in Haiti.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Longtime Lafayette pastor, founder of Black chamber of commerce dies