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William A. Few's life's work, from the moment he was ordained into the Gospel Ministry in 1955 until his death Monday, was to feed the hungry and clothe the needy.
After a lifetime of community service, Few will be best remembered for more than three decades of tending to the homeless.
He died of natural causes Monday morning at the age of 81.
Now his downtown church for the homeless and the Bible Preaching Association will probably be dissolved, said son David Few.
Neighboring vendors said they will miss the singing they heard every Sunday from the downtown church.
"We never had a problem with the church," said Mark Deleone of Mad Dog Tattoo. "Considering it's a block with a porn shop, a tattoo shop, a pawn shop, a bar and a liquor store, maybe we needed a church."
Bakersfield Mayor Bob Price held a city proclamation last year for "Bill Few Day." The event, held Nov. 21, celebrated Few's more than 40 years of dedication to the community.
Few was born Sept. 16, 1918, in Oklahoma to William and Lela Few. He married Dayda Ann Bledsoe in 1940 and served five years in the military during World War II.
Upon his return, he joined his parents and wife in Wasco, where he later owned a Firestone store.
Few served as pastor in churches throughout California. He also served as the Civil Air Patrol chaplain for 14 years and helped establish some 10 new churches. His preaching included revival crusades in California, Nevada, Idaho and Colorado.
In the 1970s, Few published a Christian newspaper called the Kern Herald and was a vocal opponent of pornography.
"Back when the church (locale) was still the Wild Cat Adult Bookstore, he would stand outside with a camera. It had no film but he would pretend he was going to publish their photo in his newspaper," remembered Doug Van Allen, a BPA board member.
"I remember he would ask them, 'If Christ was to come back today, is this where you want him to find you?'" Van Allen said. "Most people just turned around and went back to their cars."
The locale later became the site of Few's church in the early 1990s.
"They called it a coffeehouse ministry because back then he used to serve coffee and doughnuts to get people to come in," Van Allen said.
Joe Rose, Few's long-time friend and church volunteer, said the church slowly grew in popularity until about 150 people packed the place every week.
"We were allowed 110 legally, but people kept coming and Bill never turned them away," Rose said.
Few worked out an arrangement with churches of other denominations in the downtown area so that they sent him their homeless parishioners but also helped support his church, Rose said.
These funds helped Few distribute sleeping bags and coats at the beginning of every winter, as well as food vouchers when they were available.
"It was a wonderful ministry, but it also brought us so much heartache," Rose said. "It was truly the work of a special person."
Few is survived by his wife of 59 years, Dayda ( Bledsoe) Few was the daughter of Sam and Mary (Smith) Bledsoe of Sallisaw, Oklahoma: daughter Patricia Crist; son David Few; grandchildren, extended family and friends.
Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. today at the Peters Funeral Home Chapel in Wasco.
A memorial service will be held 11:30 a.m. Wednesday at Calvary Bible Church, 4580 Manor Drive.
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