Robert McVeigh Colston Jr.

Robert McVeigh Colston Jr.

1938 – 2019

Robert McVeigh Colston, Jr., 81, entered into his eternal home on November 20, 2019. Robert was born in Winchester, VA, in May, 1938 to Robert McVeigh, Sr and Honey (Ruth Kiser Atwell) Colston. As a young teenager now living in Baltimore, MD, Bob first saw the girl who was “the one for me;” although at the time she was too young for dating. In August 1958, Robert married Joyce Ruth Bieretz, and to their 61 year love affair God added six sons: Robert, III, Dean, Richard, Scott, Jason, and Timothy.

Bob graduated from the University of Baltimore in 1964 with a BS in Business Management and went to work for J.C. Penny Stores working in Richmond and Petersburg, VA. In 1968, Bob began a 20 year career for the Army Air Force Exchange Service serving in various management roles at a number of locations including Ft. Lee, VA; Bien Hoa, Viet Nam; Ft. Hood, TX; Altus AFB, OK; Aviano, Italy, Heilbronn-Ludwigsburg, Germany, and Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD. In 1989, Bob went to work for the Baptist Book Stores (Lifeway) and worked for 12 years, the last ten as the store manager of the Oklahoma City location. After retirement, Bob kept busying working part-time for his son at Stitch N Print Screen Printing and full-time in his service to His Lord.

Always an active attender in church, it wasn’t until Bob was 35 that he truly opened his heart to the saving grace of the Lord Jesus through the ministry of Taylor’s Valley Baptist Church family in Temple, TX. Bob spent the rest of his life seeking to grow in his faith and seeking to lead others to a saving faith in Christ. Bob served in many Baptist churches as a Lay Renewal Coordinator, a Deacon, Sunday School Teacher, and a life-long witness.

Bob is survived by his wife, Joyce of the home; sons: Robert, III and wife Patricia, Burns Flat, OK, Dean and wife Tamie, Arlington, TX, Richard and wife, Cindy, McKinney, TX, Scott and wife Mary Beth, Oklahoma City, OK, Jason, Washington, DC, and Tim and wife Katya of Tallahassee, FL; one brother, Jerry and wife Jean, two sisters, Brenda Lipinski and husband Tom and Bonnie Dahlberg, 15 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren.

A Celebration of Life Memorial Service will be held on Saturday December 7, 2019 at 2 PM at the Meadowood Baptist Church in Midwest City. In lieu of flowers the family prefers that contributions be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital http://giftfunds.stjude.org/RobertColstonJr

Testimony of Robert M. Colston, Jr. as found among his papers.

I was raised in church (Methodist) and we made sure we went to church every Sunday, but we lived like the devil the rest of the week.

When I was 34 years old we were transferred to Ft. Hood, Texas and the Lord used various circumstances to get us into a little Baptist church. Many good folks witnessed to me including the Pastor and my Sunday School teacher. God began to deal with me and I started to read the Bible.

My wife and oldest son were saved and I became more interested in what this “Jesus living in my heart” was all about. I know that they and others had something that I didn’t have. I asked Jesus into my heart one Sunday morning in March 1973 and my life has not been the same since. He turned our home into a Christian home – took out the nasty things – smoking, drinking, etc. – and replaced them with joy, peace, and a love that hadn’t been there before. I don’t know where I’d be today without Christ in my life.