ODEN, William Bryant Bishop William B. Oden, 83, passed away Saturday, December 22, 2018 in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. He was born Aug. 3, 1935 in McAllen, Texas and earned degrees from Oklahoma State University (B.A.), Harvard University (M.Div.), and Boston University (Th. D.). He served as a United Methodist pastor in Oklahoma from 1963-88, and was a delegate to four General Conferences and six Jurisdictional Conferences. He was speaker for numerous conferences and lectureships, and served as trustee for Southern Methodist University, Southwestern University, Dillard University, Centenary College, and Africa University in Zimbabwe, as well as Methodist Hospital of Dallas and Pendleton Memorial Hospital of New Orleans. Bishop Oden was elected to the episcopacy in 1988. He served the Louisiana Area from 1988-96, and the Dallas Area from 1996 until his retirement in 2004. He served as president of the Council of Bishops in 2000-01, Ecumenical Officer 2004-08, and Bishop-in-Residence at Perkins School of Theology, SMU from 2004-08. He held numerous leadership positions including president of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, and of the United Methodist Commission on Communication. He served on the Executive Committee of the World Methodist Council, co-chaired the International Methodist/Anglican Dialogue and chaired the Ecumenical Peace Delegation to Israel/Palestine. Bishop Oden received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Oklahoma State University, the Outstanding Alumni Award from Harvard Divinity School and several honorary doctorates. He is the author of six books. Bill loved spending time in the summers with his family at a cabin in the San Juan Mountains in Colorado. He is survived by his wife, Marilyn Brown Oden; four children (Danna Lee, Dirk, Valerie, and Bryant); and four grandchildren (Chelsea, Sarah, Nathan, and Graham). Memorial services will be held at St. Andrew United Methodist Church in Highlands Ranch, Colorado at 1:30 pm, Saturday, January 19, and at Christ United Methodist Church in Plano, Texas, at 2:00 pm, Saturday, March 9. In lieu of flowers, you are invited to make a contribution to the Bishop William B. Oden Scholarship at Perkins School of Theology, SMU.