John Dayal Chand

Rev. John Dayal Chand was born January 23, 1929, to Dayal Chand and Martha (Mall) Chand in Ambala City, India. He passed away on Sunday, July 21, 2024, at the Homestead Living Center in Elk City, OK

Funeral Services for Rev. John Chand from Elk City will be held at 10:00 AM Central time on Wednesday, July 24, 2024, at Kiesau Memorial Chapel. The ceremony will be officiated by Pastors Eddie Stark and Dr. Wilson Mash. The burial will be privately held at the Clinton Cemetery by the Kiesau-Lee Funeral Home.

As a gifted athlete, John participated in track at field hockey in high school and college.

John participated in sports and received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1962, at Ambala City Punjab, India. He also participated in several national tournaments as a member of the Delhi Customs Team. Rev. Chand coached 10-12 year boys in Mt View, Ok. to a state championship in soccer.

John grew up with an interest in serving God from an early age. He taught Sunday school and helped with the youth program at church. He was called into the ministry when in Alwar, India and became an Elder at an early age and preached his first sermon at 23.

After receiving his visa in 1966, John came to the United States to attend seminary to pursue his passion in ministry. He received his Master of Divinity Degree in 1970 from Winebrenner Seminary, Findley, Ohio. He also received another Master of Divinity from the Methodist Theological School in 1971. John served at numerous Methodist Churches in Ohio and Western Oklahoma from 1971 to 1993. He also ministered in the Mennonite Church and worked with the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes in Hammon, Ok for a short time.

John married Tajwar Sultana on April 5, 1960, in Chandigarh, India. She passed away in 2009 in lrving Texas. He met and married Thelma Thomas September 10, 2011, in Clinton, Ok. They began their early married life in Garland, TX and moved to Foss, OK and recently to Elk City, OK.

Rev Chand leaves behind: wife, Thelma; daughter and son-in law, Elizabeth and Dennis Witherspoon, grandchildren, Kerwin Carpenter and wife Lizz, Kendra and Gabriel Neely, and numerous grandchildren from the Thomas family; son, Dr. Israel Chand is a retired Major, US Army and lives in North Myrtle Beach, SC. Grand children: Sarah, Rachel, Joy [Major in the Army and serves as an executive officer of a logistics battalion for special forces in Colorado] and Joshua [led his high school track team to the state title and graduated from Westpoint] Chand and daughter, Esther Bold, of Alaska. Paul Chand, brother in California and numerous nieces and nephews in India, United States, Canada and Sweden.