Robert H. Countess (1937-2005) was a college professor, lecturer, author and pastor.
He was born in August 26, 1937, in Memphis, Tennesse. He graduated from Huntsville (Alabama) High School in 1955.
He earned a B.A. degree in Religion and English, an M.A. degree in Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament Greek, as well as a Master of Liberal Studies degree in Humanities and Philosophy from Georgetown University. He continued graduate studies at several other universities.
Dr. Countess was Instructor in Greek and Chairman of the Foreign Languages Department of Covenant College, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Tennessee State University, and Instructor in Greek at the University of Tennessee at Nashville. He also held teaching posts at Northern Virginia Community College, and at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
He was author of a book, The Jehovah's Witnesses' New Testament, and dozens of published articles and book reviews.
As a young man he served three years in the US Army. His military service resumed later when he served as a Chaplain at Redstone Arsenal from 1980 to 1984, and then with the Alabama National Guard. In 1997 he retired from the US Army with the rank of Captain.
After ordination in 1965, he served as a pastor at churches in New Jersey, Tennessee, Virginia, and Alabama, and later as a US Army chaplain (1976-1984).
Known to most simply as Bob, he is remembered with affection for his energy and generosity, his positive, life-affirming attitude, and his helpful and upbeat spirit. Among his passions were old French cars, table tennis, soccer and travel.
His adventurous outlook and abiding curiosity motivated his travel to some two dozen countries. He taught and lectured on New Testament Greek in Australia, South Africa, Ukraine and the Netherlands, and other European countries, and he led tour groups in Greece, Turkey and Israel.
Dr. Countess was associated with the Institute for Historical Review. He addressed several IHR conferences, and for some years he served as a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of the IHR's Journal of Historical Review.
During the final years of his life, he and his wife, Elda, made their home in northern Alabama. He died on March 18, 2005, at age 67, succumbing to a brain tumor. He was survived by his wife, six children, 13 grandchildren, and great grandchildren.
