FUNERAL SERVICES AT BEVIER, MO for Brother Frank Claiborne, former Appleton City resident and Baptist Church minister, will be held at 3:00 p.m. Thursday, January 23, 2014 at Bevier Baptist Church in Bevier, Missouri.

MACON, MISSOURI VISITATION will be 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Wednesday, January 22, 2014 at Greening-Egan-Hayes Funeral Home in Macon, Missouri.

APPLETON CITY VISITATION will be held from 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. Friday, January 24, 2014 at Hill & Son Funeral Home in Appleton City, Missouri.

BURIAL will be held at Newton Burial Park in Nevada, Missouri at 3:30 p.m. Friday, January 24, 2014 under the direction of Hill & Son Funeral Home.

The family suggests MEMORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS be made to:
Kansas Nebraska of Southern Baptists,
Attn: Church Planting Memorial for Frank Claiborne

The Reverend Dr. Frank Claiborne, son of Jord M. and Cynthia Jane Williams Claiborne, was born in Nevada, Missouri, on September 23, 1925, weighing in at two and three quarter pounds. He died on January 19, 2014. During Frank's first hours of life, his hands were so small that they could pass through his father's wedding band. During his final hours, his hands were clasped with Idavee, his loving wife of over 66 years.

Frank graduated from Nevada High School in May of 1943. He enlisted in the United States Navy the following July and was discharged in 1946. After their marriage in 1947, he and Idavee attended Southwest Baptist College in Bolivar, Missouri, and later, Frank attended Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas and Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Kansas. Frank was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Southwest Baptist University in 2006.

Reverend Claiborne, or Brother Frank, as he was known to many people, lived a life of joyful ministry. He first became a pastor in 1948, ordained by Pine Street Baptist Church in Nevada, Missouri. Over the years, he helped start over 48 churches in Missouri and Kansas. Frank and Idavee were missionaries with the Home Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Brother Frank held many titles, including pastor, chaplain, superintendent of missions, director of missions, and church starter strategist. Whether clasped in prayer, reaching out to someone in need, or turning the pages of his treasured Bible, the Reverend Dr. Frank Claiborne's hands were those of ministry.

Frank is survived by his wife, Idavee, and their three children: Cynthia Compton and husband Harold (Macon, MO), Paul Claiborne and wife Shellie (Macon, MO), and Tim Claiborne and wife Liz (Topeka, KS); eight grandchildren: Jonathan Compton and wife Laura (St. Charles, MO), Josh Compton and wife Laura (Windsor, VT), Jordan Compton (Athens, OH), Ashlie Meisner and husband Josh (Macon, MO), Abbie Wyman and husband Zack (Macon, MO), Chandlin Claiborne (Topeka, KS), Challim Claiborne (Topeka, KS), and Adriana Claiborne (Topeka, KS); and nine great-grandchildren (Tyler, Nathan, Carol, Brycen, Adalyn, Brooks, Macie, Libby, and Henry). He is also survived by one sister, Betty Seitz, of Nevada, Missouri, several nieces, nephews, and many friends.

Frank was preceded in death by his heavenly granddaughter, Candace Marie Claiborne; one brother, Jord Benton (J.B.) Claiborne, and three sisters, Winifred Watson, Juanita Demaree, and Nancy George.

The Reverend Dr. Frank Claiborne was a character. He had a bright twinkle in his eyes and a bellowing laugh that was contagious. His humor was the kind without a punch line, and yet, it still had punch. Frank was a character, but more importantly, he was a character with character. He was compassionate, thoughtful, and always eager to help.

Brother Frank touched many lives in each community he served, including Appleton City, MO; Republic, MO; La Plata, MO; Springfield, MO; Bevier, MO; Topeka, KS; and Northeast Kansas. Together we remember Frank Claiborne as we celebrate the reach of those once tiny hands.