Keston Center Grieves the Passing of Lorna Waterton Bourdeaux
(1955-2026)
Lorna Elizabeth Waterton Bourdeaux passed from this life on Thursday, August 6, 2026, in Oxford, England, following a valiant battle with cancer. Her funeral will be held on Monday, September 7, 2026, at 12 p.m. at St. Mary’s Iffley, Oxford, UK, and can be attended virtually via YouTube.
Lorna was born in Bushey, Hertfordshire, England, in 1955 and received her bachelor’s degree with honors in Applied Language Studies at Ealing College of Higher Education, which later merged into the University of West London. As part of the course known for its innovative approach to language learning, which included Russian, French, Spanish, and German, Lorna spent time on exchange at both the University of Geneva and in Leningrad.
While in Leningrad (St. Petersburg) in 1977, she met Christian rock musician Valeri Barinov. She would later write his biography in 1985, “Valeri Barinov: The Trumpet Call.” That book, along with “Ten Growing Soviet Churches,” co-authored with her late husband Michael Bourdeaux, offers two examples of her efforts to promote the research and study of religion and religious persecution in communist and totalitarian countries through Keston College.
The young woman first heard about Keston’s mission from her friend Sally Carter while the two studied Russian together. Miss Waterton began working full-time for Keston College after being encouraged to apply for a research assistant position. She and Keston founder, Michael Bourdeaux, later married in a ceremony officiated by His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Michael Bourdeaux, whose first wife passed away from cancer, had two children, Karen and Mark. Lorna and Michael added to the family with the births of Adrian and Lara-Clare.
After her employment at Keston, Lorna worked for AgeUK in Oxfordshire until 2017, specializing in dementia care. After her retirement, she and some friends set up the “Dementia Friendly Iffley Project” as a local community talking and musical support group.
Lorna continued her support for Keston throughout her life. She served as encourager, editor, and counselor to her husband, the Rev. Dr. Canon Michael Bourdeaux. In his memoir, he wrote, “Lorna, without question, devoted herself to a man whose life, without her, might have disintegrated. She showed me that dark times and obstacles along our path could, by faith, be turned into blessings.”
Active in the Iffley Music Society, Lorna was an integral part of the community and served as a churchwarden and on the Parochial Church Council of the historic St. Mary the Virgin in Iffley, which was built around 1160-1182. She and Michael generously opened their home to guests, meetings, and other community events. Lorna also served as a trustee of the Bishopsdown Trust, on the board of the local charity Donnington Doorstep, and had a keen interest in art, including making her own paper, jewelry, and crafts.
Kathy Hillman, Director of the Keston Center for Religion, Politics, and Society at Baylor University, stated that “she personally edited Michael’s publications and supported him in every way imaginable.” The Keston Director described Lorna as “a warm, talented, and brilliant woman who was comfortable with individuals from all walks of life and made them comfortable, too. She had a remarkable ministry of care and encouragement to others. That generosity continued during her cancer journey, right up until the last few months of her life, when she was still thinking about and supporting other people despite her own circumstances.”
Lorna Waterton Bourdeaux was preceded in death by her husband Michael in 2021. Survivors include her children Adrian and Lara-Clare, her grandchildren, and her step-children Karen and Mark, along with their families.