Elizabeth Callis Ury

Elizabeth Callis Ury (November 14, 1926 – March 4, 2026)

Beth was born in 1926, in Louisville, KY. Her dad, George Callis, was a Gulf Oil salesman, and her mother Fannie Lou was a homemaker. Both were very active in the church. Fannie Lou was known to confront preachers if they failed to give proper emphasis on biblical holiness. As a result, Beth met Jesus at age 6, and that flame fanned all the way through her formative years at Asbury College (1948) and Asbury Seminary (1950).

After graduating, she taught religion in elementary schools in Marriott, Ohio for two years before sensing God's call to go to the mission field. So, in the early 1950s, Beth went to Drew University for a year of preparation. Providentially, there was a dapper young lad there who was tasked with showing incoming students around the Drew campus. Having caught each other's eye, Bill asked Beth to go to a play. As they talked, they found much in common. For example, Bill had played Robert Browning in his college senior play "The Barretts of Wimpole Street,” while Beth had played Elizabeth Browning in her senior play. In that play, Robert saw Elizabeth as “brilliant, fierce, trapped,” and as someone who needed to be freed, saying of her, "You're the strongest person I know." Bill would come to say those exact words of his Elizabeth over their 54 years of marriage.

They also discovered that they each had a call to the mission field, expediting their September marriage. Beth taught art classes while Bill finished his degree. Next a door opened to serve a church plant in Willougby Hills, Ohio where Billy (1956) and Thane (1958) entered their world. Beth taught in the elementary school, which factored in huge on the field, especially in Mom’s storied “chalk talks” that animated all oof Dad’s preaching. Next, the Urys engaged in an intense year of Mandarin studies at Yale before finally deploying for Formosa in 1960.

Beth, Bill, and their sons arrived in the port city of Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan, and almost immediately started a church in their home which straddled the fabled Love River. They later purchased a remote plot of land in the rice paddies to build Wesley Chapel. Today that church stands on prime real estate on one of the busiest intersections in a city of 1.5 million. Mom’s six murals on the church walls are still there, militantly protected by the elders.

Beth taught at a local American military school while Dad began working with other missionaries on the island (and in Matsu), offering relief to the countless refugees who had escaped Mao’s bloodletting.

In 1961 twins Faith and Hope were born. Complications developed, and Faith toggled between life and death for the first months of her life. This lingering illness was a critical factor in the shaping of Bill’s pastoral heart; in fact, it’s been suggested that Bill and Beth’s passion and commitment during these initial years is the chief reason that all their kids are in ministry today. Everyone in Beth and Bill’s sphere saw daily faith in action through answered prayers, but they also gained an appreciation for a laser focus on the Gospel being existentially hammered out on the life’s anvil amidst real-world difficulties. In 1963 Grace joined the family.

The Ury's moved several times while in Taiwan strengthening the Church in Taichung and Taipei. In the mid-60's, Bill and Beth were invited to pastor the Taipei International Church, a non-denominational, English-speaking church that reached out to expats.

During those Taiwan years, Mom and Dad became acquainted with the Chiang Kai-sheks (the President and First Lady), Gladys Aylward, E. Stanley Jones, the descendants of Hudson Taylor, etc. Since Madam Chiang Kai-shek was a vibrant Methodist, she helped spearhead getting Billy Graham to Taiwan for his 1975 Crusade. Dad chaired that event, as he also would in Singapore (1978) and Hong Kong (1990).

After eighteen years in Asia, the family returned to the USA In 1976 for what they thought would be a “one year home assignment.” But a door opened for the Urys to pastor in Carrollton, Ohio. But that “tug” to Asia still lingered. So, after a decade in NE Ohio, they accepted positions with TransWorld Radio (first in Hong Kong, then in Singapore), heading up Gospel programing (on cassettes in those days) to be broadcast from towers/transmitters in Guam all over China, Indonesia and other countries in SE Asia. Bill and Beth were also instrumental in making broadcasting inroads into Burma. It’s been amazing for the family to hear over the decades from souls impacted by this work

Mom and Dad returned to the United States in 1997, based in Wilmore. Even after "retiring,” they traveled on behalf of OMS to colleges and seminaries, letting students know of open doors for ministry in Asia. They tirelessly assisted as many harvesters as possible, by any means, to sow seeds of redemption for the Asian harvest. Dad got an early promotion to heaven in 2010.

For over 90 years Mom Ury served the Lord with gladness, and left a legacy of countless blessed souls, parishioners, friends, colleagues, and caregivers. Her 5 kids, two daughters-in-law, two sons-in-law, 15 grandchildren, and 23 great-grandkids were grateful recipients of a still more focused love; from one so easy to revere, but so difficult to emulate. Bill Jr., Thane, Faith, Hope, and Grace are grateful for this indefatigable foot soldier for the kingdom. So well done, good and faithful servant! Sola Dei Gloria!

Visitation will be held on April 9, 2026 from 1:30PM to 2:30PM at the Wilmore Free Methodist Church. A Remembrance service will be held at 2:30PM at the Church. She will be laid to rest in the Wilmore Cemetery following the service. Honoring her as pallbearers will be Bill Ury, Jr., Thane Ury, Seth Ury, Bryce Ury, David Owsley and Hudson Ensz. This obituary was lovingly submitted by the family. All arrangements are under the careful direction of Hager and Cundiff Funeral Home, and we would like to express our deepest sympathy to the Ury family.