LOUISE FORTSON
1935-2001
INDIA
Approved 1995

Louise (Lang) Fortson was born on March 9, 1935, in Abilene, Texas. She stated that she had been a church member since the age of 13 at the Highland Park Baptist Church in Abilene. She was actively "serving" the Lord in teaching, singing, visitation, tithing, etc., but at the age of 17, she left the organ where she was playing and went forward to confess her lost condition and trust Christ completely for her salvation. 

Louise married Bill Fortson on December 30, 1954, and served beside him faithfully for 35 years as he pastored four churches in three states. She said she considered it a fulltime job. She did church clerical work, taught Sunday school and children's church, led the women's ministry, sang in the choir and played musical instruments. She always loved missions and every time they had a missionary in their church, she felt called to their field. 

However, in October 1994, they surrendered, as she said, "To give the latter years of our lives to helping missionaries." They were approved as Baptist Bible Fellowship missionaries in May, 1995, to help with the work in India that Rev. K. C. Thomas had started. They had been deeply involved with this work for over 15 years. Bro. Thomas had been a member of their church when he had come from India to attend Baptist Bible College in Springfield, Missouri. Louise passed away September 30, 2001. She had battled cancer for over two years. She was survived by her husband, Bill, five children and 11 grand children. Her daughter, Myra Unruh, along with her husband, Terry, serve as BBFI missionaries to a Creative Access Country.