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Sibley, Pleasant Wilkinson

10/1/1986

January 6, 1902 - October 1986
Pleasant Wilkinson Sibley, known to his family and friends as “P. W.”, was a local pastor for many years, and an old-time circuit rider until his ordination in 1964. P. W. was born on January 6, 1902 and dropped out of school in the ninth grade to help support his family after his father lost a leg in a train accident. He was the oldest of nine children. He married Lena Owens in 1925. In 1931, after feeling the call to preach, he was licensed to preach at the District Conference and was assigned to serve as caretaker at the old Bluff Creek Camp. In 1932, he began his long career as circuit rider to small rural churches. He was assigned to the Gonzales Charge, composed of five rural churches. During these five years on this charge he inspected fruit and vegetables and somehow found time to return to school with his oldest son in 1933. In 1954, he met his college requirements for ordination by attending Southeastern Louisiana College in Hammond, again attending with his oldest son. He received his deacon’s order in 1954 and full ordination in 1964. In addition to the Gonzales Charge, P. W. served the Walker Charge of three churches a total of 12.5 years, (on three appointments) the Tickfaw--Loranger Charge, Springfield Charge, and Livingston Charge. He served a total of 22 churches and at the time of his death he was Pastor Emeritus of the Friendship Church in Walker. P. W. served 35.5 years in small membership churches, but many of these churches were large in outreach and witness. Until the last days of his life, he made a witness to his faith to all he met and he had a vital concern for the local church. A witness to his faith was evident by the overflow crowd at the funeral service conducted by Reverend Carey A. Martin, Reverend Jerome Cain and Reverend Thomas Wilson. He was laid to rest in the Sibley Family Cemetery in Walker on October 25, 1986. He was preceded in death by his wife, Lena Owens Sibley, who died in December 1984. He is survived by four sons and two daughters.
Source: Journal Louisiana Conference, 1987; p. 325 By Carey A. Martin

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