Adrian Condit, longtime Ceres minister and patriarch of political family, dies at 94
Adrian Burl Condit, a longtime Baptist pastor who frequently officiated public prayers throughout Stanislaus County, died peacefully in Ceres on Monday, his family said. He was 94.
Mr. Condit was the patriarch of a political family that includes current Stanislaus County Supervisor Channce Condit and Gary Condit, a former congressman, state assemblyman, county supervisor and Ceres mayor.
His great-grandson Channce Condit considered him a role model and said his legacy stretches beyond Ceres and California to Oklahoma, where he was born. He was a champion for Christ and a loving father, grandfather, great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather, Condit said in a phone interview.
“I know that impacted the lives of many and all those he came across, whether it was conducting funeral services or marriages or winning souls over to the Lord,” Condit said. “I know he had a great impact on everyone who came into his life. It’s going to be a great loss for all of us.”
Adrian Condit served in the Navy during World War II and ran a dairy farm before giving his first sermon in 1951, his family said in a statement. He organized his first church in his hometown, Locust Grove, Okla., and later pastored Free Will Baptist Churches in Kansas and California.
He served as pastor of Village Chapel Free Will Baptist Church for 16 years after moving his family to Ceres in 1967. Mr. Condit also worked as a chaplain for the Memorial Hospital Association, which included both Ceres and Modesto hospitals, from 1982 to 2004. He preached his last sermon this October.
Impact on Stanislaus community
Mr. Condit’s involvement in the community included speaking at Memorial Day Services at Lakewood Cemetery, being recognized as the 2014 Ceres citizen of the year and serving as grand marshal of the 2016 Ceres Street Fair Parade.
“His door was always open to not only his congregation but the entire community,” the Condit family statement said.
Channce Condit said he will remember his great-grandfather’s cheerfulness and spontaneous singing. His hobbies included playing Wiffle ball and the guitar, as well as rooting for the Oklahoma Sooners, his family said.
Adrian Condit is survived by his sister Erma Lee Rodgers and four children: Burl, Gary, Darrel Wayne “Hoppy,” and Dovie Condit Wilson. He also leaves behind five grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.
Other family members active in politics include his grandson Buck Condit, who also serves on the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors. Channce Condit was previously a Ceres City councilman, as was his brother Couper Condit.
The family plans to hold a private graveside ceremony and bury him at Ceres Memorial Park, alongside his wife, Velma Jean Condit. Details for a celebration of life will be shared when finalized, and the family asks people donate to the California Christian College in Fresno in lieu of flowers.
