Joseph Allan Register's Obituary
Joseph Allan Register, 78
The adventure began on January 12, 1939 when Joseph Allan Register was born at home, in Valrico, Florida, in the same bed his grandpa had passed away in just two weeks earlier. Joe was the middle one of three boys born to Lillie Belle and Alvin Ray Register. Joe admired his big brother, Kenneth, and tried to babysit for his mischievous little brother, Claude (Cash).
After graduation from Brandon High School in 1957, Joe continued his studies and received his B.A. from Southeastern University, Lakeland, Florida, where the adventure continued. There, during Hurricane Donna in 1960, Joe met Margaret (Maggie) Arnold. The following year they were married and became Pastors of Youth and Music in Beckley, West Virginia. During that period of ministry, both Crystal and Timothy were born—mountaineers who would soon become “Missionary Kids.”
Then, the adventure grew by leaps and bounds when, in 1967, following a two-year pastorate in Tavares, Florida, Joe and his little family headed to Mexico to study Spanish in 1967, as fully appointed Assemblies of God missionaries. Chile, South America came next: the cold of Temuco and the beautiful climate of Viña del Mar. Then, furlough and a Masters Degree in Cross Cultural Communication. And after that, ¡adelante! to Paraguay, South America. (All these adventures unfold in Margaret’s books, No Place for Plastic Saints: Earthquakes, Chicken Feet and Candid Confessions of a Missionary Wife (2009) and the sequel, A Place for People, Puppets and Cockroach Soup (2012).
Returning from South America, Joe gained permission to “try” to produce television programs in Spanish for all of Latin America. Within a few years, the shows, especially Secret Place (Lugar Secreto) were so well received that Joe’s home church, Pleasant Grove Assembly of God, Durant, Florida, gave him a place to construct a building. There, for years, STAR Ministries (Spanish Television And Radio) and the missionary team God put together, produced television and radio shows for adults as well as children.
To daughter Crysti and her husband, Douglas Porter, were born two delightful daughters: Jennifer, who married Wesley Morris and produced two great great-grandsons, Caden and Benson; and Kyndal, who married Caleb Morris and brought into the family two wonderful great-granddaughters, Kaybree and Caralynn, and their newest addition, a son, Cohen.
To son Timothy and Regina Arndt Register was born a precious granddaughter, Tessa, now a “Florida Gator” and a budding architect.
The last of Joe’s adventures came pummeling down in the form of Parkinson’s Disease and Lewy Body Dementia. Yet, in the middle of his delusions, Joe continued to give biblical counsel to “all the people” (visible only to him) in both English and Spanish. The biggest adventure of all began on Friday morning, September 1, 2017, when Joe was welcomed into his Heavenly home.
A Memorial Celebration of Joe’s life will be held on Wednesday, September 6, 2017, at Victory Church Chapel, 1401 Griffin Road, Lakeland, Florida. Visitation to begin at 10:00 a.m. with services following at 11:00 am.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Bay Chapel to benefit foreign missions. Donations may be mailed to 1936 Bruce B Downs Blvd #86 Wesley Chapel, FL 33544 or through the website at baychapel.com
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