Roxie Ann (Moore) Wessels, 96, of Olathe, Kansas, went to be with her Lord on November 5, 2019. She was born January 24, 1923 in Prescott, Arkansas to Josiah Erben (J.E.) and Altha (Westmoreland) Moore, the fifth of seven children. Her father, Rev. J.E. Moore, was a minister in the Church of the Nazarene, pastoring churches in Houston and Dallas, TX, and Wichita and Topeka, KS.

Roxie graduated from Adamson High School, Dallas, TX, where she met the love of her life and future husband, Dean Wessels. They both attended Bethany-Peniel College, now Southern Nazarene University (SNU), in Bethany, OK. Roxie received a BA in English from SNU in 1945, and later earned an MA in Education from the University of Missouri, Kansas City, in 1966. She and her husband pastored churches in Abilene, TX, and Coffeyville, KS, before moving to Kansas City in 1955, when her husband was asked to establish the Office of Pensions and Benevolence for the International Church of the Nazarene. Roxie taught at the Barstow School in Kansas City for 24 years, retiring in 1978.

Roxie had the special gift of making every person she encountered feel loved and appreciated, which grew out of her deep faith as a follower of Jesus Christ. Though she was a pastor’s wife, she was as involved in ministry as was her husband. She was a Sunday School teacher, mentor of young women, and Bible Study leader. Her greatest love, though, was in leading others to discover the transforming power of prayer. Roxie lived a life of prayer, through which she touched many thousands of lives across the world.

Roxie was preceded in death by her husband, Dean H. Wessels, her parents, J.E. and Altha Moore, five brothers, and one sister. She is survived by her brother, Bill Moore, of Memphis, TN; daughter, Vickie Morsch and husband Gary, of Bucyrus, KS; son, Mark Wessels and wife Jan, of Olathe, KS; six grandchildren, Stephen Wessels, Dean Wessels, Amy Morsch Clarkson (Eric), Erin Morsch Hecker (Russ), Laurie Morsch Lamb (Jeremy), and Graham Morsch (Brittany); and thirteen great-grandchildren.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 2 PM on November 23, at the First Church of the Nazarene, 11811 State Line Road, Kansas City, MO. Visitation will be from 1 – 2 PM prior to the service. A private burial ceremony will be held at Oak Lawn Cemetery in Olathe. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be given to the Roxie Moore Wessels Scholarship at Southern Nazarene University, Bethany, OK. The family wishes to thank the staff of Aberdeen Village, Olathe, for their loving care of Roxie and Dean, and in particular, Trudy Eden, Roxie’s friend and caregiver.


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