On September 25, 2013, Roy Gene Irving went to be with his Lord and Savior.
His death resulted from complications of a fall he had on September 10, 2013.

Roy was born in Detroit, Michigan on October 24, 1928, to his parents Roy Franklin Irving and Mary Maude Massey Irving. Roy was the sixth of seven children. His growing-up years were spent on Detroit's East Side.

Roy's lifelong interest in music began early. He began playing the trumpet in elementary school and played and sang in vocal groups at Edwin Denby High School and in college. He attended and graduated in 1951 from Northwestern College, a liberal arts school in Minnesota.

In his final year of college, Roy met his first wife of 45 years, Lenora Christine Sandin, a farm girl from Newman Grove, Nebraska. They were married following graduation and went on to SMU in Dallas, where he earned a master's degree in history. Along their journey together, the Lord blessed Lenora and Roy with four boys: Gary, Tim, Mark, Steve, and a daughter, April Christine.

In 1956, after a rewarding stint as a youth pastor at two Presbyterian churches in Washington, D.C. and Silver Springs, Maryland, Roy and Lenora moved to New Orleans, LA. There, in 1958, Roy earned a master's degree in religious education. After graduation from New Orleans Baptist Seminary, he was extended an invitation to join the faculty at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, CA and served as Christian Education Director at Grace Church.

Beginning in 1961, Roy worked for two Christian publishing firms in Illinois, David C. Cook and Scripture Press. For 31 years, as an editor and manager, he designed and produced publications and other teaching resources for Christian education.

After 45 years of marriage, Roy's wife, Lenora, died of cancer in 1995.

In 1997, Roy moved to Santa Barbara, CA, where he married Joann Sites Flint, who had been widowed for 14 years. Roy and Joann enjoyed a happy union and were longtime members of El Montecito Presbyterian Church. There, they led a senior adult luncheon group for many years, Roy edited a quarterly men's letter, and he prepared the Men's Page in the Elmo Press-a monthly publication of the church.

Roy is survived by his loving wife, Joann, her two daughters and her three grandchildren, his five children; Gary (Laura) Irving, Tim (Peggy) Irving, Mark (Louanne) Irving, April (Dave) Ramey, Steve (Linda) Irving, eight grandchildren; Valerie Irving, Emily (Jason) Jodrey, Andrew (Alyssa) Swed, Sarah Swed, Rick (Lyndsey) Ramey, Jonathan, David and Christine Irving, and two great-granddaughters; Penny and Luna Jodrey.

He was preceded in death by his first wife, Lenora, his infant daughter, Bonnie Christine, his parents, his brothers; Wallace, Donald, Glen, and sisters; Carol McCamy, Mary Ellen Ellington, and Sharon Rose.

It has been said that, "When a person dies, it is as if a library has burned to the ground, for all the stories that have been lost to us." Roy Irving's life was a fine story of a man who was a victorious athlete in his youth, an accomplished musician with his trumpet as a young man, and an editor and interviewer with a deep fascination for the stories of lives changed by the power of God's love. His own life, though marked with painful challenges, was one of ever-increasing grace. He had a quick wit and playful sense of humor, but what family, friends, and even the fortunate stranger most enjoyed was his listening ear and words of encouragement. His memory will stir up stories for years to come. He will be missed.

There will be a family memorial service held at the Wheaton Cemetery.