We are one at Baptism and at the Communion table.
All are welcome here.
All are welcome here.
Obituaries
As testimony to our kinship in Christ and the Covenant that binds us one to another, we list below the names of those ministers known to us who have died recently. At one time or another they served in the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ.
Please click on the name of the person from the list below for whom you would like more information.
As we receive further information (about a memorial service or an obituary, for example), we will post it. Please understand that we often have limited information about the both the lives of some of these ministers and the details of funeral/memorial services. We look for obituaries on-line, but these are not always available. We cannot devote inordinate amounts of time to research, but will post the information we have. If you have information that does not appear on this site, please send it to sordillow@macucc.org.
The Rev. Scott Raeburn
5/13/2012Dear Friends in Christ, I write with the sad news of the death of Rev. Scott Raeburn early Sunday morning. Scott served Forest Street Union Church in Methuen and on the Andover Committee on Ministry and Periodic Support Consultation Committee. Additionally, he convened the Andover Clergy fellowship on a monthly basis. As you can tell, Scott was a leader and a gift to the Andover Association. He will be greatly missed. Visiting hours will be held Friday, May 18 from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m....
Rev. Gary Arndt
4/27/2012Though Gary did not serve a Massachusetts Conference Church, as the pastor of Good Shepherd UCC in Metrarie, LA he was an active partner with numerous teams from Massachusetts Conference churches in their efforts to contribute to the rebuilding of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. Gary was a graduate of Eden Theological Seminary and served as a UCC Pastor for 35 years in Southern Illinois, Nebraska and Louisiana. A spritual director known for his sense of humor, Gary...
Rev. Dr. Holly G. Reed
4/25/2012Holly G. Reed, 56, of West Lebanon, NH, previously of Littleton Mass., passed away on April 25, 2012 at her home. Born in Seattle, Wash., she was the daughter of the late William and Jean Reed Scheibe. Holly was Pastor at the Richmond Congregational Church in Richmond. Holly earned a Bachelor's degree in Comparative Religion at the University of Washington, a Master's of Divinity from the McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago and a PhD in Practical Theology at Boston University. She loved...
The Rev. J. Gregory Tweed
3/20/2012The Rev. Greg Tweed died on March 20, 2012. He served as pastor of Edwards Church in Northampton from 1975-1979. The following obituary appeared in the Miami Herald on March 29, 2012. BY ELINOR J. BRECHER ebrecher@miamiherald.com The Rev. John Gregory Tweed, whose calling led him from the pulpits of historic Northeastern churches to the bedsides of desperate South Florida AIDS patients when HIV was still a death sentence, died of heart disease March 20 at his home in New...
The Rev. Harold F. Cooper
3/6/2012The Rev. Harold F. Cooper, known to all as Hal, died on the morning of March 6, 2012. Hal was Minister Emeritus at West Yarmouth Congregational Church, having been the pastor there for 19 years. He retired in 2001 but returned in 2009 to serve as Transitional Pastor. Hal fought a valient, two year battle with pancreatic cancer. He died in the same manner that he lived his life, with great dignity and strength. From capecodonline.com: YARMOUTHPORT...
Rev. Margaret Frerichs
3/4/2012NORTHAMPTON - The Rev. Margaret L. Frerichs died March 4, 2012, at the Overlook at Northampton at age 89 after a long illness. Margaret (Margie) was born Dec. 27, 1922, in McMinnville, Ore., to the Rev. Dr. William Frerichs and Carrie (Thomson) Frerichs. She graduated cum laude from Linfield College in Oregon, attended the University of Washington and the Berkley Baptist Divinity School prior to receiving a master's degree in divinity from Colgate Rochester Divinity School. Margie was...
The Rev. Harry G. Myers
2/25/2012LAURENS _ The Rev. Harry G. Myers, 78, of Laurens, passed away at his home on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2012. He was born in Rockledge, Fla., the son of Glenn Myers and Marguerite (Marsaw) Myers. He was a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan College and attained his Masters in Divinity at the Methodist Theological College in Delaware, Ohio. He married Annfrances Morgan in Poughkeepsie on July 5, 1970. During his ministry he had pastored churches in Grahamsville, Norwood, East Windsor, Conn., and Rowley, Mass....
The Rev. Arthur W. Perkins
2/22/2012PETERSHAM -- The Reverend Arthur W. Perkins, 85, of 15 South Main St., Petersham, died on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012 at his home, peacefully, with family by his side. Arthur was born in Boston on October 10, 1926, son of the late Rev. Palfrey Perkins and Linda (Wellington) Perkins. He grew up in Boston. He attended Shady Hill School, class of l941, Phillips Exeter Academy, class of 1944 and Harvard University, class of 1948. Mr. Perkins went to Paris to study music and met his wife, Anne...
Rev. Kenneth Wentzel
2/21/2012BRUNSWICK, ME -- The Reverend Kenneth Wentzel died unexpectedly on Feb. 21, 2012 in Brunswick at the age of 88. A huge fan of Kurt Vonnegut, Benny Goodman, donkeys, Portland SeaDogs Baseball, and chocolate chip cookies, Ken resided in Topsham with his wife of 35 years, Ruth (Hendrick) Wentzel, and two corgis. The eldest of three children, Ken was born in Dayton, Ohio on Oct. 17, 1923 to Clarence and Julia (Hofferberth) Wentzel. After graduating from Elmhurst College in Illinois in...
Rev. Milton Bartlett
2/18/2012Rev. Milton Bartlett is considered "the grandfather of interim Ministry in the MACUCC." He was a member and Pastor in Residence at First Congregational Church of West Boylston. A Memorial Service will take place on March 10 at 2:00 in the afternoon at First Congregational Church of West Boylston. Milton asked that it be a service of Holy Communion. There will be a reception in Fellowship Hall following the service. The burial will be...
The Rev. John Hubert Williams
12/7/2011John was born in New York City on January 14, 1937. He graduated from Ohio Wesleyan and Drew Theological Seminary, and earned his Doctorate in Ministry from Garrett Theological Seminary. As a Methodist minister he served churches in Ohio, including 10 years at Monroe Street United Methodist Church in Toledo. As a United Church of Christ minister he served churches in Massachusetts, including 14 years at the Federated Church of Hyannis on Cape Cod. After moving to Penney Retirement...
Rev. Dr. Edwin McLane
11/30/2011Rev. Dr. Edwin D. McLane, 92 of West Yarmouth died Wednesday November 30, 2011 at Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis. He was the husband of Gertrude E. Gem (Maxim) McLane for 69 years. Born, raised and educated in Everett, Rev. McLane graduated from Everett High School in 1937. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theology from Gordon College in 1942; a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Divinity from Andover Newton Theological Seminary in 1945; a Masters Degree in 1948 from Columbia University; and his...
The Rev. Dr. Joseph Neville
10/8/2011The Rev. Dr. Joseph Neville died Oct. 8, 2011, of multiple myeloma at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. He was 72. Many knew and admired him, whether it was through his work with United Church of Christ congregations, his tender and constant care of his family, his genius for friendship or in his final years, the full flowering of his talent as an artist. The day after Mr. Neville died, his daughter, Elisabeth Neville, was faced with the difficult task of presenting the gallery...
Rev. George Cory
9/30/2011GREENFIELD — Rev. George L. Cory, 82, died Friday (9-30-11) at Linda Manor Extended Care Facility in Leeds. Born on June 20, 1929 in Englewood, NJ, he was the son of George L. and Flavia (Shurtleff) Cory. He was a 1948 graduate of Englewood High School, a 1952 graduate of Bates College in Maine, earned his Masters of Divinity at Andover-Newton and was ordained in 1955. He served churches in New Hampshire, South Dakota, Missouri, Ohio and Massachusetts. He was a member of Robbins Memorial...
The Rev. Dr. John Prescott Robertson
9/8/2011From CapeCodonline.com: NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. — John Prescott Robertson, formerly of Harwich, Mass., died September 8, 2011, at his home in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. He was the husband of Barbara Lewis Robertson for 68 years. He was the first of seven children of the late Charles Todd Robertson and Helen Queen Robertson, both natives of Scotland. Born in Norwood, Mass., January 5, 1916, he was valedictorian of his high school class, graduate of Bentley School of Accounting,...
The Rev. Dr. Alva M. Taylor
5/8/2011The Rev. Dr. Alva M. Taylor died on May 8, 2011 at the age of 88. Alva was the pastor of the Congregational Church of East Weymouth from 1986-1992. He retired in 1992 and remained active in both the Scituate and Wellesley Village churches for many years and was a member of the latter at the time of his death. A memorial service was held on May 12 at First Congregational Church of Natick, and his committal was at Trinity Park Cemetery of the Trinitarian...
The Rev. Dr. Peter J. Gomes
2/28/2011Rev. Peter J. Gomes, Harvard Minister, Dies at 68 By ROBERT D. McFADDEN, New York Times Published: March 1, 2011 The Rev. Peter J. Gomes, a Harvard minister, theologian and author who announced that he was gay a generation ago and became one of America’s most prominent spiritual voices against intolerance, died on Monday in Boston. He was 68. His death, which was first reported by The Harvard Crimson, was confirmed by Emily Lemiska, a spokeswoman at Massachusetts...
The Rev. Richard Dowling Hunter
2/25/2011The Reverend Richard Dowling Hunter of Arlington, died at the age of 88, on February 25, 2011, of complications from heart failure. A minister of United Church of Christ churches in MI, OH, upstate NY and MA, beloved husband of 60 years of Sara McKenzie Hunter, loving father of Anne and Rebecca of Cambridge, MA and Elizabeth of Arlington, MA, and their spouses: George Young, Neil Marsh and Jason Merrill, and doting grandfather to Alice. Born in Mt. Vernon, NY in 1922 to Chauncey Depew Hunter...
The Rev. H. Gardner Anderson
2/16/2011HILLSBORO - The Rev. H. Gardner "Andy" Andersen, 94, died Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2011. He was born Nov. 1, 1916, in Providence, R.I. Andy graduated from Massachusetts State College in 1939 with a major in economics. During his undergraduate years, he was a member the U.S Army ROTC (Horse Cavalry), was an accomplished equestrian, as well as a championship swimmer on the college swim team. After graduation, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 315th Horse Cavalry. He served...
The Rev. Charlotte Lesak
1/13/2011Reverend Charlotte Anna (Rockel) Lesak, 88, passed away on January 13, 2011 at Quaboag on the Common. She was the wife of the late Joseph Lesak, and is survived by her daughter, Alice Lesak of Barre; her son, David Lesak and his wife Lorie of Allentown, PA; her grandchildren, Scott Lesak of Allentown and Jana Houser of Norman, OK. She was born in Altoona, PA, and had lived in the area for the last several years. She retired as minister of the Flicksville (PA) United Church of Christ in 1985....
Featured
