Myron was born February 17, 1961 to Reverend Arthur and Willie Wingfield.  He was the cherished little brother to Dean and Rhonda Wingfield.  Raised in a parsonage family, Myron lived in many small Virginia towns, graduating from Martinsville High School where he excelled in jazz band and was a drum major.  Myron studied religion and political science at Emory and Henry College.  Myron and I fell in love during our years at Candler School of Theology at Emory University and were married in 1987.  Our famiy's joy was complete with the births of Jesse in 1991 and Luke in 1993.

Myron served churches in Westwood, Atascadero and San Diego.  He became the San Diego District Superintendent in 2013.  These experiences and his work on the Board of Ordained Ministry prepared him for the next stage of his ministry serving as Associate General Secretary at the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry in Nashville.  His love of travel, his openess to new experiences and his ability to address conflict with respect and optimism made these rewarding years for Myron.  In 2016, Myron accepted the position of Executive Council Director in Cal-Pac and looked forward to moving home to California.  Shortly before that move, Myron's health began to deteriorate as the consequences of radiation treatment for Hodgkins Disease undergone in 1990.  Following major heart surgery, Myron adjusted to living and working with diminished lung capacity until going on disability in 2018.  Myron died on July 27, 2021 of Covid-19.

Myron exuded joy his whole life.  He had more friends than I can count.  He did not shy away from uncomfortable conversations and saw in them the opportunity for growth and new insights.  You could count on him to be honest and authentic.  Myron was a "big picture" type of person who had the patience to stay invested in complex issues, optimistic that better outcomes were possible.  Food and cooking, table fellowship and parties were the preferred settings for Myron to share his joy with others.  Simply stated, Myron lived grateful.  As one who experienced cancer early in his adult life, he lived everyday with a sense of gratitude.  When his health declined, Myron never complained but found meaning and pleasure in reading, in political activism, in poetry and music and nuturing countless friendships and being with family.  

There were scraps of paper that I discovered in Myron's wallet after he died which speak to volumes about who Myron was; the first is a quote by Albert Schweitzer that exemplified Myron's faith to a tee.  It begins "He comes to us as one unknown.  Without a name as of old by the lakeside, he came to those men who knew him not.  And he speaks to us the same words, 'Follow Me,' and sets us to the task which He has to fulfill for our time."

The second slip in Myron's wallet was a cocktail recipe called Peacock Alley Martinez which is a perfect symbol of the "joie de vivre" that typified his daily living.

The third was a worn piece of paper on which was written " A Parent's Prayer."  It represents who Myron was as husband and a father.  "Let my presence be an island to them in storm-tossed seasons, rising up from troubled waters to offer shelter, respite and firm dry ground.  May they find me a haven to tend battered souls until the day the certainty of such solid ground launches them to sail uncharted waters unafraid."  It was not uncommon for Myron to announce at the start of a dinner or a gathering, "Love has arrived: Let us begin!"  For Myron, that announcement meant more than just the start of a great meal.  It was his lived affirmation of faith-that the incarnation of God's presence invited us all to a life of joy and gratitude.   Martha Wingfield