Fermathe, Haiti (May 21, 2024) — Wallace Rutherford Turnbull, founder of Baptist Haiti Mission (BHM), passed away peacefully on May 20, 2024, at 98. His work transformed countless lives in Haiti, and his influence extended to shaping national policy in Haiti and the United States.
Wallace Turnbull was born July 10, 1925, in Hollywood, CA. He arrived in Haiti in the early 1940s and adopted it as his home. Wallace was a pioneer missionary who ministered to the whole person, spreading the hope of the gospel to Haiti. Like most kingdom-productive missionaries, he was unorthodox and tenacious.
For 70 years, along with his wife Eleanor, Wallace helped BHM grow to encompass 350 churches and schools, serving over 50,000 Haitians. It also established a hospital that continues to serve a community of 250,000 people today, providing vital medical care to those in need.
Wallace joins his wife Eleanor, who passed away in 2020, in heaven, hearing Jesus’ beautiful approval, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Wallace’s dedication to spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ is evident in the enduring legacy of BHM. He is survived by many loving family members.
Funeral arrangements will be announced shortly. As information is gathered from the family, it will be posted at bhm.org.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Wallace Turnbull Memorial Fund (click here) through the Baptist Haiti Mission.
How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!
~ Isaiah 52:7 ~