Dr. William D. Apel 1947 - 2024

Dr. William D. Apel, born February 9, 1947, in Braddock, Pennsylvania, passed away September 18, 2024, in McMinnville, Oregon, after living with multiple sclerosis for many years. He was with his wife of 54 years, Jane Apel, of McMinnville, and daughter, Emily Apel, of Wilsonville, Oregon.

He is also survived by his son, W. Paul (Jessica Pavlinko) Apel, of Portland, Oregon; and brother, Terry (June) Apel, of Saltsburg, Pennsylvania; and preceded in death by his parents, Roger and Leanore Apel.

Bill received his B.A. from Muskingum College in Muskingum, Ohio, and went on to earn his M.Div at Garrett Theological Seminary and Ph.D. at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ilinois. He was ordained by the United Methodist Church and recognized by American Baptist Churches, U.S.A.
Bill’s calling to spread peace and social justice by combining religion with education brought him to Linfield University (then Linfield College) where he was Chaplain for 20 years and professor of religious studies for 36 years. There, he created a student chaplain internship program, was instrumental in establishing the Oregon Nobel Laureate Symposium—of which he became director—and launched a Habitat for Humanity chapter.

Bill also mentored countless students who fondly remember profound experiences in classes like “Monks and Mystics,” which he taught at Our Lady of Guadalupe Trappist Abbey near Lafayette, Oregon, and led student trips abroad to Ireland and Italy. He received the Louise Hunderuup Religious Education Award in 2008 and retired in 2011.

His interfaith mission spread beyond campus as he traveled to Israel, Europe, the USSR, Zimbabwe, Canada, South Africa, and Japan as a speaker, academic, religious leader, and witness to peace with organizations like the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America, the International Thomas Merton Society, the International Bonhoeffer Society, the Howard Thurman Educational Trust, and more.

Bill’s published works include his books, Witnesses Before Dawn: Exploring the Meaning of Christian Life, Silent Conversations: Reading the Bible in Good Company, and Signs of Peace: The Interfaith Letters of Thomas Merton, as well as articles and essays in journals and books like The Thomas Merton Annual, Bonhoeffer for a New Day, and American Baptist Quarterly. He most recently met with and interviewed Hiromu Morishita, peace activist and survivor of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima. He was working on his final book, The Gospel According to Thomas Merton, which will be published posthumously.

Above all, Bill’s love for his family provided them with endless guidance, support, wisdom, and compassion. He is loved and missed dearly.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. October 19, 2024, at First Baptist Church, McMinnville. Memorial contributions can be made to First Baptist Church.

“We cannot do great things, but we can do little things with great love.” – Mother Teresa

“This is the end – for me, the beginning of life.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer