The wife of a long-serving Florida pastor has died just days after being brutally attacked in her home by a man posing as a community service officer.
First Baptist Orlando Church announced that Lucy Pat Curl, wife of Pastor Bill Curl, died Wednesday after being severely beaten and knocked unconscious.
“This morning, Lucy Pat Curl, wife of longtime First Orlando Pastor Bill Curl, passed away following life-threatening injuries last Friday. She has now been healed, and is in the presence of our Savior,” reads the church’s statement.
The accused attacker, Ronald Davis, 55, reportedly posed as a community service officer and forced his way into Curl’s home.
An Orlando Police Department’s arrest affidavit contends that Davis repeatedly hit Curl in the head with a crystal candy jar until she was unconscious.
Curl later told officers that when she awoke, her home was ransacked, and she couldn’t locate her cell phone.
She said she stumbled out of the house and into her car and began honking the horn in hopes that a neighbor would come and help her. After 15 minutes of honking, no help arrived.
The 85-year-old crawled back into the house and waited several hours until her husband came home, Spectrum News 13 reported.
Curl was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center and was placed into a medically induced coma due to a brain bleed. However, surgery was not an option because of her age and the medication she was taking.
David Uth, the senior pastor of First Baptist Church, updated the congregation on Curl’s condition on Sunday and told them more about what took place.
“You know, if I could really be honest with you, I’d probably just stand here and weep today,” Uth said.
He shared that Bill and his wife served on the pastoral team for more than 50 years, and for 18 years served as missionaries with the International Mission Board before the Lord brought them back to America, churchleaders.com reports.
“[Bill is] the one that will be there for you in a heartbeat, and his wife, Lucy Pat is right there with him,” Uth said. “You’ll see them sometimes around here riding a bicycle built for two, and it’s a beautiful sight when you do, on Friday afternoon.”
Uth asked the church to pray for her recovery, but days later she passed away due to her injuries.
“On Tuesday, Lucy Pat was taken off life support,” the church wrote in a message posted on caringbridge.org. “She went on to Heaven early this morning. We rejoice that she is no longer in pain.”
“The circumstances of her passing are shocking and abrupt, and not what we would have expected or chosen. But as our Lord has forgiven us, we are asked to forgive each other,” it continued. READ MORE
