The Rev. John Olan Price, who had been a pastor at United Methodist churches in Maryland for nearly 40 years, died of a brain tumor Monday at Methodist Manor House in Seaford, Del. He was 70.
Mr. Price was born and raised on his family's Upperco farm and graduated in 1953 from Franklin High School, where he had been an agricultural student. At Franklin, he met Ruby Hanson, whom he married in 1958 at Mount Zion United Methodist Church in Finksburg.
"When we were in high school, we both were involved in the Youth for Christ movement, and another influence was the Rev. Donald MacIntosh, who encouraged and directed John toward a career in the ministry. He later married us," Mrs. Price said.
Mr. Price earned a bachelor's degree in religion in 1958 from Houghton College in Houghton, N.Y., and was a youth minister for the next year at Livingston United Methodist Church in Columbus, Ohio.
After earning his master's degree in religion in 1963 from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, he was ordained a United Methodist minister, and was a pastor at churches in the Baltimore-Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church. He retired in 1999.
From 1960 to 1963, he was a student pastor at Pipe Creek Charge in Westminster, and after his ordination he served as pastor for the next three years of St. James United Methodist Church in West Friendship.
Mr. Price also was a pastor at First United Methodist Church in Lonaconing from 1966 to 1970, when he was named pastor at Darlington Charge in Darlington.
"He was a delightful man who always had a twinkle in his eye," recalled Barbara J. Eaton of Rehoboth Beach, Del., a former Woodbine resident.
Mrs. Eaton helped prepare and type the church bulletin when Mr. Price was pastor from 1977 to 1989 of the Taylorsville Charge in Mount Airy.
"He was so well-liked and dedicated to serving God. He was always available to the parishioners in their time of need and loved sharing in their joy," Mrs. Eaton said.
She added: "He was a very calm man not a screamer or yeller when in the pulpit. And he was always fun to be with, but could be serious when he had to be."
From 1989 to 1994, he was pastor of Centennial Memorial United Methodist Church in Frederick, and beginning in 1994 was pastor for a year at Providence United Methodist Church in Monrovia.
Mr. Price spent the last four years of his career at Severn United Methodist Church.
"I've known John for 44 years," said the Rev. Clarence "Pete" Roark, who retired in 1996 as pastor of Glyndon United Methodist Church. "He was a quiet man of whom it could be said that `still waters run deep,'" he said. "A good way to describe him would be to say that he was the people's pastor, whose main focus was to care for them and help them through their many problems."
Mr. Price never sought a higher role in the Baltimore-Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church beyond that of being a country pastor.
"He never had a large church, and every church he had gave him the opportunity to be a minister. He did his job well and liked being below the radar," Mr. Roark said.
Bob Higinbotham is a member of Severn United Methodist Church, where he is also a liturgist and lay member to the annual conference.
"We always worked very closely together," Mr. Higinbotham said. "John was a blessing to us because we're a small church, and we've had our ups and downs, and he was a very stabilizing force."
Mr. Higinbotham credited him for bringing the sacraments of the church to those who couldn't attend services.
"He visited the elderly, shut-ins and patients in hospitals regularly. He brought them communion and comforted them," he said.
During his ministry, Mr. Price served on several commissions and committees of the Baltimore-Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church. He was a former secretary and board member of the United Methodist Historical Society and a former director and secretary of the Epworth Federal Credit Union.
Mr. Price had served as chaplain for the Winfield Community Volunteer Fire Department and Carroll County Volunteer Fireman's Association. He was a former director and president of the Carroll County unit of the American Cancer Society and had been president of the Darlington Recreation Council of the Harford County Department of Parks.
Since moving to Seaford in 1999, Mr. Price had been an active participant and volunteer at St. John's United Methodist Church. From 2000 to 2002, he worked for Wilmington Trust Bank, demonstrating the use of automated teller machines.
Mr., Price remained an avid vegetable gardener throughout his life. He also enjoyed looking for antiques at flea markets, reading and following the Orioles.
"It is fitting that John's grave will be right next to the road that leads to his family's farm. He loved the earth and was a farm boy who got the call. And now, his life has come full circle, and he's back on the farm," said Mr. Roark.
Services will be held at 1 p.m. today at Taylorsville United Methodist Church, 4356 Ridge Road, Mount Airy.
In addition to his wife, survivors include a son, Timothy D. Price of Libertytown; three daughters, Loretta P. Ewell of Millsboro, Del., Linda A. Price of Richmond, Va., and Karen P. Koch of Reston, Va.; two sisters, Emmalie P. Bolte of Reisterstown and Georgianna P. Harvey of Hanover, Pa.; and three grandchildren.
