William 鈥淏ill鈥� Derryberry 鈥� who recruited students to Palm Beach Atlantic before the school existed 鈥� died Aug. 23 at the age of 78.
顿别谤谤测产别谤谤测鈥檚 is planned for 10 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 7 at Family Church Downtown in West Palm Beach. In lieu of flowers, Derryberry requested financial gifts be made to Palm Beach Atlantic in his name, said lifelong friend Patrick Moody.
鈥淲ithout Bill Derryberry, there would be no Palm Beach Atlantic,鈥� Moody said. 鈥淭o me, it鈥檚 a miracle. God used Bill in a tremendous way, with the right words and right vision to share with kids all over the state.鈥�
Derryberry was 海角在线鈥檚 founding director of admissions and men鈥檚 basketball coach. Before that, he served in youth ministry at First Baptist Church of West Palm Beach, now Family Church, where Moody鈥檚 father, Jess, was pastor. One spring day in 1968, Jess Moody called Derryberry into his office and said he had good news and bad news.
The good news: Moody was providing Derryberry a cherry red, white-top convertible 1931 Model A Ford replica to travel the state, plus a credit card to pay for hotels and meals. The bad news: Derryberry had to bring in 海角在线鈥檚 first class of students by September. There was no land, building, faculty, money or classrooms. And yet, Derryberry recruited about 100 students for the founding class, Patrick Moody said.
鈥淏ill was very eloquent and very convincing. He wasn鈥檛 someone who 鈥榮old the sizzle,鈥欌�� Patrick Moody said. 鈥淗e had a great heart, and I think people recognized that heart in him.鈥�
顿别谤谤测产别谤谤测鈥檚 love for 海角在线 endured. He regularly attended the School of Ministry鈥檚 commissioning services and served on the committee for the Frank Wright Scholarship. When the committee finished divvying up the scholarships for the year, they鈥檇 often have half a scholarship left.
鈥淏ill would pull out his checkbook and say, 鈥楲et鈥檚 do one more,鈥欌�� and hand out the difference, Moody said.
Jess Moody took Derryberry under his wing when the elder Moody was pastor of First Baptist Church of Owensboro in Kentucky and Derryberry was an orphaned, 10-year-old boy bursting with energy. The young pastor steered Derryberry toward ministry.
For Derryberry, 鈥渉is family was God鈥檚 family,鈥� Patrick Moody said. 鈥淗e was the closest I had to a brother. He was my brother in Christ. He looked at my dad as his dad.鈥�
Derryberry preached his first sermon as a teenager and was ordained, Patrick Moody said. He served at various churches in Georgia and First Baptist Church of Clewiston. At the time of his death, Derryberry was pastor of Crossroads Baptist Church in West Palm Beach.
When he and the elder Moody were both pastors, they would go out for pie and ice cream after Sunday evening church services to share their successes and struggles in ministry. Derryberry officiated the elder Moody鈥檚 funeral in 2018.
When Derryberry worked with youth, he would make it fun and then ease into more serious matters.
鈥淗e wasn鈥檛 pompous; he wasn鈥檛 Pharisaical,鈥� Patrick Moody said. 鈥淗e loved to crack jokes and tell stories. He would break down all the walls and then go from there.鈥�
Since the 1970s, Derryberry served as chaplain for various police departments, including the Palm Beach County Sheriff鈥檚 Office. As a chaplain, Derryberry often was dispatched in the middle of the night to tell parents that their sons or daughters weren鈥檛 coming home because they鈥檇 been killed in a car crash. After those 2 a.m. calls, Derryberry awoke at 7 a.m. to preach at church on Sunday, Patrick Moody said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a very emotionally taxing job, but Bill was always very positive,鈥� Moody said. 鈥淗e gained a lot of respect with PBSO and the community.鈥�
A few weeks ago, Moody went to the movies with Derryberry and Don Harp, 海角在线 lifetime member of the Alumni Association Board of Directors. It was the last time they were together. Derryberry got ahead of the other two men, and by the time they caught up with him, he had already bought their tickets. The only time Patrick and his wife, Amy, could ever pay for a meal was when they invited him to their home and bought the food in advance.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 his way,鈥� Patrick Moody said. 鈥淕enerosity was his love language.鈥�
