COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—Dr. James Dobson issues the following statement:
"I have some sad news to share with you today. News of this nature often passes with the speed of light, and you may have already heard what I have to tell you.
"The Reverend H.B. London passed away last week after succumbing to a long bout with cancer. He and I were first cousins, having mothers who were sisters, and we were both only children, so we really grew up like brothers. We were very, very close from toddlerhood all the way through childhood. Every vacation, every holiday, every summer we were together, and that comradery continued right to the end of his life. I was the best man at H.B. and Beverley's marriage, and three years later he was the best man at my marriage to Shirley. You don't get much closer than that. Nevertheless, we were fierce competitors, just like brothers often are.
"We went off to Point Loma University where we were roommates, and we nearly killed each other during that first year. But the love we shared for one another just grew stronger through the years. When we graduated from college, H.B. went off to Nazarene Seminary in Kansas City, and I headed for U.S.C. to get a Ph.D., but we stayed in touch. H.B. served as a pastor for 31 years, and he joined me at Focus on the Family as a pastor to pastors, and he served hundreds and hundreds of ministers, many of whom struggled with the burdens of the pastorate and of leadership in the church. I've never known anyone who worked harder than H.B., that was the indefatigable energy that he had because he loved his work and he loved pastors. H.B. wanted to do everything that he could to help them cope with the trials and struggles that were coming their way.
"I loved H.B., and I ask you to pray for his family, especially his wife, Beverley, and their children and grandchildren, and all those who grieve over his passing. What a good and godly man he was. I’m so grateful we will see him again."