Bill Gumpper's legacy honored
Ten years after his death, Bill Gumpper's legacy lives on through a game he loved and a cause he championed.
The Lighthouse Foundation is hosting its annual golf outing next month in memory of Butler's own Bill Gumpper.
Gumpper was a missionary pilot in Africa for 7 years and a pastor at First United Methodist Church, 200 E. North St.
His passion for spreading the Gospel to lost people was legendary.
“The Lighthouse Foundation's mission and ministry are very much in line with what Bill's passion was — reaching lost and hurting people and sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with them,” said Cindy Cipoletti, executive director of the Lighthouse Foundation.
Gumpper was born and grew up in Butler County where he lived and worked as a computer analyst for Waste Management until he met the love of his life Donna on a blind date in 1988.
He would share with her his call to the mission field which drew the couple even closer.
“We were married 8 months later and off to the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago,” she said. “I had always wanted to be a missionary and thought my call was to India, but God had different plans.”
Gumpper eventually earned degrees in the Bible and aviation, and he and his wife became missionaries serving for seven years in Botswana, Zimbabwe and other parts of Africa.
“He flew missionaries and supplies into remote areas while I maintained radio contact from the ground with status checks every half-hour,” Donna Gumpper Smith said.
He was not just a pilot. “Bill also preached and led worship at churches through out our ministry,” she said.
He was one of the pilots who flew into Mozambique during severe flooding in early 2000. “It was dangerous but rewarding work and he was happy to do it,” she said.
The couple had their son, Chris, while in Botswana. Chris Gumpper recently graduated from the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio, with a degree in biology.His sister, Abby, was born stateside but settled with her family back in Africa when she was three months old. She is a student at Pace University in New York majoring in theater.“When we decided to return home, it was with a burden for the city of Butler on Bill's heart,” said Gumpper Smith. “We returned to First United Methodist Church and the pastor, David Panther, invited him to minister at the church as the personal care pastor.”The Gumppers were the first missionaries that came out of First United Methodist, and just as the church invested in their ministry, Gumpper was inclined to invest in the church.He began the “Seeds of Hope” ministry in Butler and was an instrumental part of Crossfire.“He was really the heart of the church and loved everybody. Even after he got sick, he continued to minister to those who were in the hospital,” his wife said.Gumpper died at 50 on Nov. 13, 2008, after a battle with melanoma.Donna Gumpper Smith is still an avid golfer and believes her late husband would be both humbled and honored by the memorial golf outing.“Bill never sought attention, but he brought attention to the causes he thought were important,” she said. “It's pretty neat that even after his death, he continues to do just that.”“This golf outing, the proceeds of which benefit the Lighthouse Foundation's transitional housing program for homeless individuals and families, is a way to honor Bill's memory by supporting a local mission that meets people's physical and spiritual needs,” Cipoletti said.The goal of the transitional housing program is to transition people from homelessness to self-sufficiency.“Our goal is to raise between $15,000 to $20,000 to support our housing program for homeless families in Butler County,” Cipoletti said.Registration will remain open until July 13 or until all spots are filled.
WHAT: The Lighthouse Foundation golf outing in memory of Bill GumpperWHEN: 8:30 a.m. registration, 9:30 a.m. shot gun start July 16WHERE: Butler Country Club, 310 Country Club RoadINFO: Register online at www.lighthousepa.org or call 724-586-5554.
