The Reverend Jack Zoerheide—parish minister and social justice activist—died on 2 March 2018, aged 93.

Throughout his ministry the Rev’d Mr. Zoerheide was a staunch civil rights advocate. In 1964 he traveled to Williamstown, NC, to join in protests and wrote about his experience of 48 hours in jail after being arrested for attempting to be served at a segregated restaurant with a group of people of color.

Jack Daniel Zoerheide was born on 27 June 1924 in Kent City, Michigan, to Grace and Frank Zoerheide, and grew up on a subsistence farm near Grand Rapids. After enlistment in the U.S. Navy in 1942, Jack saw active service (1943–44) as a lieutenant in the Asian Pacific Theatre. The GI Bill supported his study at Harvard Divinity School, where he earned his ministerial degree in 1950.

Mr. Zoerheide was ordained on 22 April 1951 by the Arlington Street Church in Boston. Over the next 37 years his parish career took him to Second Parish in Hingham, MA (1952–57), First Parish in Needham, MA (1957–69), Winchester, MA, Unitarian Society (1969–79), Keene, NH, UU Church (1979–81), All Souls Church in Braintree, MA(1981–82), UU Church of Fort Myers, FL (1982–84), and finally UU Church of Tarpon Springs, FL (1984–89).

While in his first settlement, on 22 Aug 1953, he married Marie Annette Sandberg, an artist and model, who remained his life partner until her death on 24 June 2010. At his death, Jack was survived by children Laina, Dean, Brian, Greg and Julie, 11 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.