Rev. Ernest D. Breithaupt Obituary (1937 - 2017)

Rev. Ernest D. Breithaupt, 79, of Wapella, died on Thursday, April 27, 2017 at his home. His funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, May 2, 2017 at the Apostolic-Pentecostal Church, 2810 Tractor Lane, Bloomington, IL. Visitation will be from 3 to 7 p.m. on Monday at the First United Pentecostal Church, 3 Jones Lane, in Bloomington, IL. Interment will immediately follow services at Randolph Township Cemetery. Carmody-Flynn Funeral Home in Bloomington is handling arrangements. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the First United Pentecostal Church of Bloomington Missions Fund. To express condolences online, please visit www.carmodyflynn.com. Ernest DeWitt Breithaupt was born on August 16, 1937, in Grant Parish, LA, son of Rufus DeWitt and Rosa Belle Blackshear Breithaupt. He began to feel his call into the ministry when he was sixteen and he later gave up a football scholarship to LSU to go into ministry. In 1957, he went to the Apostolic Bible Institute in St. Paul, MN. At ABI, he met Wally Ann Bierschenk from Louisville, KY. They were married August 23, 1958. In 1959, they moved to Frankfort, KY to build a church there. In 1962, he returned to ABI as an instructor and also pastored the daughter church of Midway Tabernacle in St. Paul, MN. From there he moved to Apopka, FL and pastored the United Pentecostal Church. IN 1968, he was elected to the pastorate of the Apostolic Church in Belleville, IL.. Gateway College of Evangelism began in 1968 and for its first three years, he served as an adjunct faculty member. In 1972, Pastor Breithaupt was elected to be full-time District Secretary of the Illinois District and in 1981 he was elected to be the District Superintendent of the Illinois District. He held this position for twenty years. In 1989, he was appointed to the Budget Committee of the General Board for the United Pentecostal Church International and continued to serve until 2015. In 1991, he became the pastor of the First United Pentecostal Church of Bloomington. One very enjoyable assignment for him was becoming a part of the Board of Directors of the Tupelo Childrens Mansion in 1972, where he continued to serve as an honorary board member until his death. Surviving are his wife of Wapella; two daughters, Lori (Daniel) Bentancur of Lyndhurst, NJ and Lisa Mustread of Bloomington; five grandchildren, Alexis, Stefan (Miranda), Joshua, Abby Lanette; one great-granddaughter, Alejandra and one sister, Lorain Carroll of Winnfield, LA. He was preceded in death by his parents and one grandson, Robby. Pastor Breithaupt will be remembered fondly by his family and friends because he was the best gumbo maker outside of Louisiana, a marvelous story-teller, and though he was serious and compassionate, he was a prankster with a loud-booming laugh.