Former bishop in Fort Worth Episcopal diocese connected to national church dies at 88
The Rt. Rev. Sam Hulsey, a former bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northwest Texas in a congregation that is connected to the national church, died Thursday. He was 88.
Hulsey died of cancer at his family homestead in Parker County, the diocese said.
The retired bishop was born in Fort Worth on Feb. 14, 1932, to Ruth and Sim Hulsey.
“Sam Hulsey was and remains a gift. His life has made an impact on countless lives, not only in the Church but in the world,” Scott Mayer, the provisional bishop of Fort Worth, wrote in a statement. “A remarkable bishop, Sam understood that the reach of the Gospel extends beyond the personal to the cultural — even to the political.”
Hulsey’s career in the church ended with his time, from 1980 to 1997, as bishop of the Diocese of Northwest Texas, based in Lubbock. At his retirement, Hulsey moved to Fort Worth.
“In the early 2000s he was a true pastor to those Episcopalians seeking to remain in The Episcopal Church when the Fort Worth diocesan leadership was threatening to leave,” according to an article on the Fort Worth diocese’s website. “After the bishop and other diocesan leaders left The Episcopal Church in late 2008, Hulsey continued his spiritual guidance of those who were rebuilding the diocese.
“For several years following reorganization, he was one of the clergy who traveled around the Fort Worth diocese to insure displaced congregations could worship together,” the article states. “Bishop Mayer appointed him assisting bishop in February 2016.”
In early March, at the funeral of Deacon Henry Penner, Hulsey announced in a sermon that he was dying.
Hulsey is survived by his wife, Isabelle; a daughter, Ashley Hulsey of Philadelphia; and a son, Byron Hulsey of Woodberry Forest, Virginia.
A memorial service will be held when it is safer to gather, according to the church.
This story was originally published August 7, 2020 at 1:53 PM.
