Dr. Thurman Wayne Wisdom

July 18, 1931 - May 4, 2022

Thurman Wayne Wisdom, 90, of Greenville, SC passed away on May 4, 2022. Thurman was born July 18, 1931, in Ratcliffe, Arkansas, a son of Elizabeth Rankin and Samuel Baldridge Wisdom. In 1949 he graduated from East Detroit High School in East Detroit, Michigan. After graduation, he joined the Air Force and was stationed in England until his honorable discharge in 1955. He often joked that he flew a Royal (typewriter) in the Air Force. He went on to study theology at Bob Jones University graduating cum laude in 1959. He continued his education and received his MA in 1960, and his PhD in 1975. He married Mary Perkins in 1966. Thurman and Mary went on to have three children, Stephanie Lynn Wisdom Mikkelsen (Doug), Stephen Wayne Wisdom (Debora, deceased), and Daryl Thurman Wisdom. He taught at Bob Jones University for 42 years from 1961-2004 when he retired at the age of 73. He was the Dean of the School of Applied Studies and later became Dean of the School of Religion from 1978-2000. In addition to teaching, he traveled 20 times to Russia and Ukraine to minister there. He also traveled and taught in Australia, the Philippines, Singapore, Mexico, and Costa Rica. In 2006, he published a book called A Royal Destiny: The Reign of Man in God’s Kingdom. After his retirement he continued to preach almost every Sunday at Shepherd’s Care Assisted Living Center and was a member of the Gideons. In his free time, he enjoyed eating toast and drinking coffee, reading, playing chess, and spending time with his grandchildren. Thurman was predeceased by his parents and three infant siblings, Gerald, Beal, and Wilma all in 1928, following the Arkansas flood of 1927; his adult brother, James Max Wisdom; and his daughter-in-law, Debora Wisdom. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his sisters, Nina Woods, Delena Ickes, and Kay Wisdom; his children Stephanie Lynn Wisdom Mikkelsen (Doug), Stephen Wayne Wisdom (Debora, deceased) and Daryl Thurman Wisdom; and his seven grandchildren, Sage, Reece, Hadley, Schaeffer, and Ridge Mikkelsen, and Nicholas and Grayson Wisdom. A memorial service and visitation will be held at Hampton Park Baptist Church on Monday May 9, 2022. Visitation is at noon, with the service at 1 p.m.