Fred Phelps (1929-2014) died on March 19, 2014 at the age of 84. He was born in Meridian, Mississippi and served as an assistant pastor at Eastside Baptist Church in Meridian prior to graduating from John Muir High School. Phelps became an ordained minister in 1947 and received his ministerial credentials from the Bible Methodist Connection of Churches in 1964. He went on to be the founder and head pastor of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas. Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church gained notoriety for their protests at military funerals and other events, namely for their vocal support of anti-LGBT sentiment. Throughout his life, he received numerous legal reprimands, including being banned from the United Kingdom in 2009. He retired as pastor of the Westboro Baptist Church in 2013. Phelps is survived by 11 children, over 50 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.