Joseph Terril Bohanon entered the presence of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on November 29, 2022, at Mercy Hospital in Springfield, Missouri, at the age of 83 after a short illness. He was born in Los Angeles, California on June 16, 1939 to parents Paul and Ruby Bohanon. Following completion of his Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry at UCLA, he obtained a Master’s Degree from Howard University. While there, he was offered a job to teach chemistry at Evangel College, a young, growing Assemblies of God college in Springfield, Missouri. Except for a brief hiatus to finish his PhD at University of Missouri Rolla, he taught there continuously for forty-six years until his retirement in 2009. Besides teaching chemistry majors, nearly every pre-med student that came to Evangel took his classes, which, though notoriously difficult, prepared them for the challenge of medical school. Several of his doctors and nurses were former students.
Beyond the classes he taught, he was a spiritual mentor to countless students, often investing into their lives outside normal office hours. He was also a long-time member of the Full Gospel Businessmen’s Association as well as many professional chemistry societies.

In 1977, he met and married the love of his life, Peggie Coletti and they were married on October 21 of that year. Sons Joey and Jason were soon to follow. Spirit-filled faith was a large part of his life and the fruits and gifts of the Spirit were evident in his actions. Early in his faith he attended Angelus Temple in Los Angeles and Full Gospel Tabernacle in Washington DC. Upon moving to Springfield, he attended Calvary Temple for over 20 years where he served as a deacon and, at 6’7”, was the centerpiece of the back row of the choir. Since 1986 the family has attended Central Assembly of God. He was blessed under the ministry of countless pastors and leaders who contributed to the spiritual education of him and his family.

He was generous with his time and resources, donating tens of gallons of blood to the American Red Cross. His last physical act was to provide tissue for skin grafts of burn victims. He loved crossword puzzles, Solitaire, old Laurel and Hardy movies, and Crosstown Barbecue, which he still referred to as “Jess’s”. He had an amazing internal calendar, constantly saying things like “Three more weeks”. Until what? No one knew.

He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Peggie, children Joey and Jason (Maureen), grandchildren Conner and Ava, sister Milly, nephews Terry, Dennis and Jon and nieces Jewel, Tracey, Kathleen, Shannon, Erin and Noelle. He was preceded in death by parents Paul (1970) and Ruby (1980), sister Pauline (2019) and niece Shelley (2021).

Visitation will be in the chapel at Central Assembly of God at 10:00 AM on Saturday, December 3 with funeral to follow at 11:00 AM. Minister Jim Bradford will officiate. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, he requested that donations be made toward the education of his grandchildren. Those interested in making a donation may contact his son, Jason, for details.