Category: Obituary: B

George W. Brandenburg, Ph.D., 69, husband of the Rev. Ellen L. Brandenburg, died unexpectedly on Sept. 14, 2013, at the Lahey Clinic in Burlington, MA. His wife, their children, a cousin, and his minister were with him.
He earned B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in physics from Harvard and held appointments researching and teaching particle physics at the Max Planck Institute in Munich, Germany; Stanford Linear Accelerator Center; and MIT. He directed the High-Energy Physics Laboratory at Harvard until his retirement in 2008. Just prior to his retirement he worked on the Atlas Experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider in Geneva, Switzerland.

George was an avid sailor, pilot, musician, skier and maritime historian. He was a devoted member of First Church in Salem, Unitarian.

He is survived by his wife of 48 years, by their daughter, Anna Brandenburg, of Concord, NH and their son, Peter Brandenburg, and their daughter-in-law, Krisztina Holly, of Los Angeles, and his brother, John Brandenburg, of Maple Grove, MN.

His memorial service was planned for October 12 at First Congregational Society in Salem Unitarian. Donations in his name may be made to the Star Island Family Retreat and Conference Center, 30 Middle St., Portsmouth, NH 03801. Condolences may go to Ellen Brandenburg, 91 Essex St., Salem, MA 01970.

The Rev. Patricia McClellan Bowen, 73, died Sept. 14, 2007. She served congregations in West Paris, ME, South Bend, IN; Framingham, Sharon and Sherborn, MA; Virginia, Portsmouth, NH; and Las Vegas, NV; and was Assistant to the Director of Education and Social Concerns at the UUA, where she created and developed REACH, the Religious Education Clearing House. Surviving are her children Barbara Bowen of Newton and Jonathon Bowen of Spencer, MA. At her request no services were held.

The Reverend Carol Brody—dedicated religious educator, lover of nature, gardening, and the arts—died on 17 November 2016 at the age of 88. She is remembered by friends and colleagues for her powerful personal presence, her “take charge” attitude, and “a twinkle in her eye that could brighten up a dull meeting.”

Caroline Irene Yagello was born in Euclid, Ohio, on 20 April 1928 to Louise and John Yagello (Polish: Jagiełło). She grew up in Cleveland, and briefly attended Otterbein University, near Columbus (1946-47). She disliked her first name and from a young age shortened it to “Carol.”

After marriage to Paul Brody in 1950, moving to Columbus (Ohio) in 1958, and joining the Unitarian church there, Carol quickly found a passion for religious education. By 1965 she had become Director of RE and in 1975, while still raising four children, began classes at Methodist Theological School in Ohio, earning an M.Div. in 1984. Meanwhile, the Columbus congregation had ordained her as their Minister of Religious Education in 1981. After over three decades of service at that church, Carol retired in 1994 and was named Minister Emerita in 1999.

In the wider UU network, the Rev’d Ms. Brody served as inaugural chair of the UUA’s Women and Religion Committee as well as field service consultant (equivalent to a later era’s “district executive”) in the UUA’s Ohio- Meadville District (1985-94).

Carol’s spouse died in January 2016. She is survived by children Jill, John, Jim, and Jane, six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

Memorial donations are encouraged to Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio and to Clintonville Beechwold Community Resources Center. A memorial service was held on 3 December 2016 at the Columbus, OH, UU Church.

John Berquist, the spouse of the Rev. Dr. Carol Hepokoski, died May 12, 2016 of pancreatic cancer, surrounded by his family, at home in Eveleth MN. John was widely known as a folklorist, musician, and storyteller.

John had studied cultural geography, and wherever he lived he connected with the local immigrant communities, learning their stories and songs, and incorporating those into presentations. He delivered historical and musical programs in libraries and community centers throughout Minnesota, State Parks, and celebrations. His passion was the Iron Range of northern Minnesota, where he was born, and to which he often returned. He studied the cultural heritage of the Range, especially the oral history and music from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. John was a field worker for the Smithsonian, and the host of a traveling live radio program nominated for an award by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. His hand crafted maple syrup won blue ribbons at the St. Louis County Fair for several years.

He and Carol were married in 1983. They lived for two years in St Paul, where John served as the Folk Arts Coordinator for the Minnesota State Arts Board, but returned to the Range when children became part of their lives. Later, Carol’s work moved them to the Hyde Park neighborhood in Chicago, and John worked as a story teller and musician in after school programs and in senior centers throughout Chicago.

John had a lifelong interest in music, and was involved with bands wherever he was. He also participated as an active layperson in Unitarian Universalist congregations, bringing music and stories to worship services, leading and participating in choirs, and joining in district activities.

He is survived by his wife, the Rev. Dr. Carol Hepokoski; his sons, Andy Rosequist, Boston, and Jonah Berquist, San Francisco; and a widespread extended family.

Notes of condolence may be sent to the Rev. Dr. Carol A. Hepokoski, 8164 N. Long Lake Ct., Eveleth, MN 55734.

Memorials can be sent to the Mesabi UU Church, 230 South Seventh St, Virginia, MN 55792 or Faithful Fools Street Ministry, 234 Hyde St., San Francisco, CA 94102.

The Rev. Dr. Orlanda R. Brugnola, whose gentle spirit touched many hundreds of lives through creative artistry, pastoral presence, religious scholarship, committed teaching, tireless work against racism and oppression, and steady dedication to worldwide religion and interfaith dialogue, died unexpectedly on February 24, 2016, at age 69.

In devotion to interfaith cooperation and interreligious peace, Orlanda planned many conferences and programs to encourage dialogue, including the Parliament of the World’s Religions. She served as president of the Institute for the Study of Genocide for nineteen years and was long and deeply active in the International Association of Liberal Religious Women and the International Association for Religious Freedom (IARF). She served on the board of the IARF’s U.S. Chapter and organized workshops for the IARF’s periodic World Congresses.

A talented studio artist who created art for most of her life, Orlanda exhibited photographs, paintings, drawings, and sculpture in many group shows and more than nine solo shows in New York, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts. With over twenty years of curatorial experience and additional interests in poetry and music, she served over twenty years on the Board of Directors of the American Festival of Microtonal Music and six years as president of the Society for the Arts, Religion and Contemporary Culture.

Orlanda didn’t care much for religious labels, but she often numbered herself among “technicians of the sacred” [Jerome Rothenberg, 1968]. As she explained it, these “are beings who, for one reason or another, seem able to live more fully in the mystery.” Her close friend and ministerial colleague, Doris Hunter, described her as a “Renaissance spirit producing works of art, poetry and creative ideas designed to change the world. Orlanda’s interests were boundless and reflected not only an amazing intellectual ability but also an appreciation for the rich diversity of human culture. Above all, Orlanda was a faithful friend to everyone she met. Her presence spread grace to all who knew her.”

Orlanda Rice Brugnola was born on April 1, 1946 to Anthony Brugnola and Kathrine Schwellenbach. She earned a B.A. in psychology at UC Berkeley in 1966, and a M.Div. from Starr King School for the Ministry in 1979. She received certification in mediation, conflict resolution, and art therapy, and was registered as an art therapist by the American Expressive Therapy Association in 1989. In 1998, Orlanda received a Master of Fine Art in Painting from the City University of New York, and in 2014, a Doctorate in Ministry from New York Theological Seminary.

Ms. Brugnola was ordained to the ministry in 1979 by the First Unitarian (now UU) Church of Berkeley, California, where she served as a ministerial intern. Beginning as an assistant minister to the First Unitarian Congregational Society of Brooklyn, New York in 1981, she held a variety of ministerial positions at that congregation until being named Chaplain Emerita in 2009. She went on to serve interim ministries at the UU Fellowship of Poughkeepsie (2009-11), the UU Congregation of Hudson Valley (2011-12), and the UU Congregation of Queens (2013-14). In 2013 she was appointed an affiliate minister to the Community Church of New York and then church administrator in 2014, holding both positions until her death.

The Rev. Ms. Brugnola served over thirty years in various community ministries. She was employed at Columbia University as both UU Chaplain (1988-2011) and Chaplain for the Arts (1989-96), and at Union Theological Seminary as UU Chaplain (2009-11). For thirty-five years (1981-2016), she held an adjunct assistant professorship in the departments of philosophy and interdisciplinary studies at John Jay College of Criminal Justice (City University of New York), teaching philosophy and world religions. Through her John Jay connection, she also taught philosophy at the Rikers Island jail complex and at a New York residential drug treatment program. In addition, she spent several years offering courses in ministerial formation and conflict resolution to students at Skidmore College, Union Theological Seminary, and Meadville Lombard Theological School. As a member of Collegium (an association for liberal religious studies), she contributed frequent papers, mostly on the arts in Eastern religions.

Ms. Brugnola worked determinedly to dismantle racism and oppression around the world. From 1991 to 2016, she sat on the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) Metro New York District Anti-Racism and Diversity Committee (formally the Racial Concerns Committee), and from 1997 to 2016 she served as an active Board Member of the Clinton Association for a Renewed Environment, an organization seeking to create affordable housing in New York City. She served as co-vice president of Diverse, Revolutionary Unitarian Universalist Multicultural Ministries (DRUUMM) from 2013 to 2015. Committed to the betterment of the wider UU movement, Orlanda served on the UUA Commission on Appraisal from 2003 to 2009, and the UUA Board of Review from 2013 to 2016.

Orlanda received many honors for these diverse contributions to ministry, education, social justice, and the arts. She was elected a fellow of the Society for the Arts and Religion & Contemporary Culture in 1993, and she was elected as the Artist-in-Residence for the Henry Street Settlement in 1999-2000 and 2001-2002. From John Jay College she earned a Performance Award for Teaching Faculty in 1999, and recognition for twenty-five years of teaching at the college in 2006. She was recognized for outstanding service by the U.S. Chapter of the IARF in 2006 and received the Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc., Business Visionary Award in 2008.

Her dear friend, Janice Marie Johnson, recalled Orlanda as “… one whose deeds spoke of a generosity of spirit that knew no bounds. Orlanda has been a source not only of inspiration, but indeed of transformation. A woman of many gifts, she had an extraordinary understanding of the complexity of the human condition. She defined and demanded excellence. Her gentle yet sharp eyes and her patient yet unyielding ears were meant to bring confidence and surety. Orlanda hoped to shepherd us to our best selves.”

A memorial service was held on Sunday, April 17, 2016 at The Community Church (UU) of New York. Notes of condolence can be sent in care of the Rev. Bruce Southworth, The Community Church of New York Unitarian Universalist, 40 East 35th Street, New York 10016.

The Reverend Holly Bell—passionate religious educator, inspiring preacher, and lover of nature—died on 22 January 2016 at age 85.

With ordination in 1973, Holly stood in the vanguard of women entering UU ministry during the so-called “second wave” of feminism, and she became an important mentor to a generation of women aspiring to ministry. The Rev. Rachel Tedesco recalls seeing Holly sitting formally on the stage back in the early 1980s as the lone clergywoman among four male ministers: “Her very presence made such a big impression on me that my own ministry seemed like a real possibility.”

Throughout her life Holly actively exercised her social conscience by advocating and demonstrating for fair and equitable treatment of all. She found deep and profound connections to the natural and physical world and was comforted by the idea that at death she would ultimately go back to the universe from which she came.

Jeanne Hollyberry Millett was born on 9 December 1930 to Robert N. and Leonora (Mann) Millett. Her middle name was chosen to mark her birthdate during the Advent season, and “Holly” was how she was nearly universally known. After graduation from Keene (NH) High School at age 16, she earned her B.A. from Smith College in 1951. It was in those college years that she found her passion for the UU church. With a passion for religious education, she served All Souls (now UU) Church of Greenfield, Mass, as DRE (1956-70), before returning to school to earn an M.A. in religious studies in 1973.

Ms. Bell was ordained to the ministry in 1973 by her Greenfield church and the next year was called as minister to Unity Church (UU) of North Easton, Mass, where she served for 25 years and was voted minister emerita on retirement in 1999.

Holly was deeply connected to nature, and enjoyed hiking, camping, canoeing, birdwatching, and gardening. She was a dog lover and an avid reader, and spent many summers at Star Island Family Conference and Rowe Camp. In addition to the outdoors, Holly enjoyed cooking, crafting, and baking. Holly Bell outlived her sister, Cheryl, as well as a son, Marc. She is survived by her children Peter M. Bell, Rebecca H. “Becky” Bell, and Elizabeth M. “Libby” Kellard, and grandchildren, Emily Bell Springett, Christopher H. Bell, Meghan E. Kellard, and Alyssa M. Kellard. She was the spouse of the late Hubert W. Bell and the late Gerald C. Bailey.

A memorial service was scheduled for May 21, 2016, at the Congregational Unitarian Society of Bernardston, Mass. Condolences may be sent to Rebecca Bell, 1603 Tina Lane, Castleton, NY 12033. Memorial donations are encouraged to the UUA by check payable to “Friends of the UUA” and mailed to the UUA, Attention: Gift   Processing, 24 Farnsworth Street, Boston, MA 02210.

Paul B. Brody, 90, husband of the Rev. Carol Yagello Brody, died January 19, 2016. They had been married for 65 years.

Paul was born August 1, 1925. He was a 1943 graduate of South High School, Cleveland, OH, Paul attended Denison University. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1943-1946. On his return from service, he graduated from Western Reserve University in Cleveland. A high point in recent years was participating in an Honor Flight to Washington, D.C. in 2010.

He was Sales Manager for A.P. Green Refractories for 35 years and was a long-time member of the American Foundrymen’s Society. He served as Chairman of its Central Ohio Chapter from 1970-72. He was a member of the American Ceramic Society where he held numerous positions throughout the years.

After retirement, Paul spent many happy hours ‘schmoozing’ with all his friends at The McConnell Center, Kroger in Clintonville, favorite Columbus restaurants, Champ Henson’s at the Clintonville Market and visits to past customers. He was a fan of The Ohio State Buckeyes, the Cleveland Indians and UA Golden Bear Baseball. Paul was a proud and devoted husband, father and grandfather. He was a great fellow with a sharp wit, grand sense of humor, friend to many and a man who never, ever, forgot a name or a face. He will be missed.

He is survived by his wife, Carol; children, Jill (Douglas Bryant), John (Kate), Jim (Kim Katz Brody), and Jane (Chris Jay); grandchildren, Maggie Brody Moskal (Brandon), Sam Brody, David Bryant, Matthew Bryant, Lindsie Katz and Jeremy Katz; great-granddaughter, Lucy Moskal; and cousins, Yvonne Lewandowski and Lawrence Kruszewski.

A memorial service was planned for Paul in the early spring. Memorial donations may be made to Honor Flight Columbus (honorflightcolumbus.org) or Columbus Jazz Arts Group. (jazzartsgroup.org). Arrangements by Rutherford-Corbin Funeral Home. To send condolences to the family, please visit www.rutherfordfuneralhomes.com.

The Rev. Madelyn Catherine (Harnish) Barber, 93, widow of the Rev. Charles Otis Barber died Jan. 31, 2015.

Born in Nova Scotia, Canada, on May 13, 1921, she was the daughter of Robert and Leona (Croft) Harnish. She was reared in Boston and educated in the public schools there. She married Charles Barber in 1943. They reared a son and a daughter.

Sheearned her bachelor’s of science in education from the former State College of Boston and earned her master’s degree in educational administration from Syracuse University. While at Syracuse, she was eligible for honors and was elected to the Pi Lambda Theta honor society for her scholastic accomplishments.

She taught social sciences, mathematics, English and general science for more than 20 years. Madelyn was the first woman elected to the Dolgeville (NY) District Board of Education. She also served as the vice president of the Herkimer (NY) County School Board Association.

From 1962 to 1966, she was the executive director of the Doolittle Nursing Home in Foxboro. MA. Both she and her husband studied the needs of the aging by attending institutes and seminars. She earned her achievement certificate for management, advanced administration and medical economics from the American Medical Association and the American Nursing Home Association.

An active UU, she was a member of the Ballou Channing Religious Education Committee and the Ballou Channing Women’s Association. While in the St. Lawrence District, Madelyn served as the president of the District Women’s Federation.

She was involved in all phases of church life wherever her husband and she served. She was religious education director at the Salem (MA) UU church and at the UU Fellowship in Durham (NH). At the Salem church, Madelyn was a board member of the Woman’s Friend Society and chairperson of the Outreach Committee and president of the Salem Church Women United.

Her son, Jack, reports that in the 1980s she was ordained to the UU ministry by the South Parish Unitarian Church of Charlestown, NH. The congregation recognized her service providing her own ministry to several small churches. And they acknowledged her contributions to religious and civic organizations during her long and fruitful career.

She and her husband retired to Deland, FL. Then, after he died there in 2006 she returned to North Attleboro, MA and lived in long-term care from 2009 until her death.

In earlier years Madelyn enjoyed camping, then later she could be found gardening, reading, being outdoors and clipping articles from newspapers. She remained true to her longtime roots in farming and had a deep appreciation for that hard work and the role farmers play in society.

She leaves a daughter, Susan E. Murphy and son-in-law, Robert Murphy of Deland, FL.; a son, John R. Barber and daughter-in-law, Charlotte Barber of Plainville, MA; nine grandchildren, many great-grandchildren and several great-great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her parents and her brother, Larry Harnish.

A celebration of her life and faith was held Feb. 7 at the Chapel at Madonna Manor, MA, with the Rev. Kelly K. Thibeault, pastor of the First Congregational Church, North Attleboro, officiating. She says that a number of Madelyn’s writings were shared at her service.

Memorial donations in Madelyn’s name may be made to Lenore’s Pantry, 43 South Washington St., North Attleboro, MA 02760.

Notes of remembrance may be sent to: John Barber, 10 Cliff Dr., Plainville, MA, 02762.

The Rev. Cornelis “Neil” Johannes Bakker, parish minister, world traveler, WW II veteran, lover of sports cars and opera, and a talented photographer and stained glass artist, died on August 10, 2014 at the age of 97.

Cornelis Johannes Bakker was born in Amsterdam on May 29, 1917 to Hendrik Bakker and Dina Bakker, but emigrated to the U.S. at age eight with his parents. He served in the US Army as a Tank Commander from 1941 to 1946 and continued with the Army Reserves after the war, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. He went on to earn a B.A. from George Washington University in 1949 and a M.Div. from Harvard Divinity School in 1960.

Mr. Bakker was ordained to the ministry in 1963 by the First Unitarian Society of Gardner, MA. He served as a Protestant chaplain to the Gardner State Hospital from 1963 to 1977, and concurrently, minister to the First Unitarian Society of Gardner, MA from 1963 to 1979. He then served as minister to the First Universalist Church of Providence, RI from 1979 to his retirement in 1990. He was named Minister Emeritus of the First Unitarian Society of Gardner in 1984, and Minister Emeritus of the First Unitarian Church of Providence in 1990.

Neil Bakker was committed to both the larger UU movement and the local communities in which he ministered. He served as president and vice president of the Central Massachusetts District of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), and served on the district’s board, evaluation committee, and appraisal committee. He also served as member and president of the North Atlantic Interdistrict Council of the UUA; the nominating committee and board of the Ballou-Channing District of the UUA; and the MA Council of Churches. He held membership with the Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association; co-founded the Gardner-Athol Area Mental Health Association, and actively served the American Red Cross, United Way of America, the Doolittle Home, the Human Rights Committee, the CG Jung Center, the Netopian Club, and the Krishnamurti Society.

Neil is survived by his wife of 57 years, Melba Ann Bakker, who describes him as a “wonderful father” and a lover of people and laughter. “It didn’t matter who the person was; Neil treated all people equally and lovingly.” Other survivors are a daughter, Stephanie A. Bakker, a sister, Henrietta Weiting, and numerous nieces and nephews.

A memorial service was held on Sunday, September 14th, at the First Unitarian Church of Providence, RI. Memorial donations are encouraged to the First Unitarian Church of Providence, RI, 1 Benevolent St, Providence, RI 02906, to Hamilton House, 276 Angell St, Providence, RI 02906, or to the VNA Hospice of Rhode Island, 475 Kilvert Street, Warwick, RI, 02886.

The Reverend Dr. Janet “Jan” Bowering, parish minister, religious educator, UU historian, peace and justice activist, devoted minister’s wife, loving mother and grandmother, doll collector, and world traveler, died peacefully on July 17, 2014, surrounded by her family, at the Merrimack Valley Hospice House, in Haverhill, MA; she was 83 years old.

The Rev. Ms. Bowering served congregations in the roles of part-time and full-time minister, and religious education director. For more than a decade, she set aside her own calling and offered her professional skills as a volunteer in her husband’s congregations and within groups serving the larger UU movement. She was passionate about religious education and actively ministered to young people in her own congregations and in the larger UU movement. With her husband and children, she spent many summers at UU camps and institutes, directing work projects and leading youth programs. Equally committed to her community, she worked to establish both a temporary shelter for the homeless and a program to provide a food kitchen for the hungry. Another of her passions was to see new places, and she made use of her vacation and sabbatical time to travel the world.

Janet found particular inspiration in the life and pioneering work of the Rev. Olympia Brown. She was known far and wide for her dramatic portrayal of Olympia Brown’s life and ideas, a presentation that she offered more than forty times. (At the time of this writing, a video record of one such performance was available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1guc91OFx8w).

Ms. Bowering was also a mentor to seminarians. The Rev. Holly Baylies, who served an internship at the Haverhill UU Church in 1990, recalls that Jan “taught me the truth about ministry, which was not to be found in the books I had read or the courses taken, but within the mere joy and optimism she expressed in the living of her life, in her service to others. No matter whom she encountered and how grumpy, annoying or difficult the person or circumstance may have been, she always found the right words and somehow, the beauty inherent in each and every individual she encountered. Her sense of the worth and dignity of every person was at the core of her teachings and her living.” Janet summarized this attitude in her conviction that “The church is people. It is not a body of belief, a set of principles, or an impressive structure of stone, wood, and glass.”

Janet Hartzell was born on December 7, 1930, the only child of Allen Reiff Hartzell and Catharine May Weiser. She was a shy, artistic youngster who loved pets and other animals. With her father, she enjoyed gardening, growing food for the family, and composting. Influenced perhaps by her father, a chemistry professor at St. Lawrence University, Janet developed an interest in science. She created her own experiments, including one which nearly led to the accidental burning of her house. In her late teen years, she came under the mentoring influence of the Rev. Edna Bruner, who served the First Universalist Church, Canton, NY, from 1945 to 1950.

The summer after her high school graduation, Janet’s mother died suddenly; her father died nine months later.

While attending college, Janet felt a call to ministry. She earned a B.A. from St. Lawrence University in 1952 and continued on to seminary, where her future husband, Vinton Bowering, was a year ahead of her. Another classmate, David Pohl, recalls, “While the University had about 1,800 students, the theological school was a small community of about forty. It was inevitable then that Vin and Janet would meet there, [forming a relationship] that [eventually] became a marriage.” In 1953 Vinton completed his B.D from St. Lawrence Theological School and Janet, having studied with Angus MacLean, received the School’s certification as a religious educator. Jan and Vin were married at the First Universalist Church, Canton, New York, on September 5, 1953. After a short honeymoon, they moved to Abington, Mass, where Vinton had been called to the local Universalist congregation (now defunct). Janet continued her studies at Boston University, because, in her words, “Harvard Divinity School had not yet grasped the idea of educating women for the ministry!” The next year Vinton was called to the Outlaw’s Bridge Universalist Church, Seven Springs, North Carolina, where he and Janet were both ordained to the Universalist ministry on January 30, 1955, by the North Carolina Universalist Convention. Shortly thereafter, Janet began serving as part-time minister of the smaller, nearby Universalist Church of Kinston, NC.

The Bowerings’ time in the South, during some of the first steps toward racial desegregation, presented challenges that they readily accepted. In her ministerial odyssey, recalled:

“. . . one time we [Janet and Vinton] took the Seven Springs LRY group [Liberal Religious Youth] to hear [journalist and integration activist] Harry Golden speak in Kinston. We didn’t know, or we would have prepared the kids for non-segregated seating. Fortunately we arrived late, were ushered in to a lecture in progress and sat hastily wherever we could. Afterward we stopped for ice cream, two cars full of young people, and tried to sort out feelings. It was interesting that they mainly didn’t want their parents to know what happened lest they jeopardize their chances to “go places and do things with Mr. and Mrs. Bowrin’.”

The Rev. Ms. Bowering left the Kinston church in 1959, when Vinton was called to First Parish in Milford, Massachusetts. During this ministry and Vinton’s subsequent call to the First UU Society of Exeter, New Hampshire, in 1967, Janet turned her attention to an active, though unpaid, role assisting her husband in church growth, working in the church school, and preaching when Vinton was away. In this “sabbatical” from her own career, she and Vinton began raising their own children, and Janet worked as a substitute teacher in area schools. Shortly after her husband’s call to the Universalist Unitarian Church of Haverhill, Mass, in 1974, Janet was hired to serve alongside him as the Director of Religious Education; she continued in that position, while also serving as part-time minister at First Parish of Tyngsborough, Mass (1977-79).

In 1979, when the Rev. Vinton Bowering suffered a fatal heart attack, the Haverhill congregation received special permission to bypass a search process and call Janet as their minister. She entered upon that role while caring for her three children as a single parent, serving for seventeen years until her retirement in 1996, when she was named Minister Emerita. In 1997, the Rev. Ms. Bowering served briefly as a visiting minister at Adelaide’s Unitarian Church of South Australia. Her lifelong commitments to the UU movement were honored by Meadville Lombard Theological School with a D.D. in 1998.

Janet Bowering’s ministering reached far beyond the congregations she served, both locally and globally. In 1977 she offered use of the church to the Calvary Baptist Church of Haverhill, MA, after that church had suffered a devastating fire. She later offered her church basement as a shelter for the homeless, a service remaining in place for three years. One Christmas Eve, Janet hand made the candles for the service from wax she had scraped off the pavement during a trip to Warsaw during the Polish uprisings, at great risk to her own safety. In the year following her retirement, she joined a Justice Works team helping to rebuild burned out churches in the southern United States and was credited with single-handedly digging a sewer line for a project in Summerton, South Carolina.

The Rev. Holly Baylies recalls that Jan’s “sense of social justice was strong, unflappable, and at times even comical, as this diminutive, white haired, little old lady, once packed a suitcase full of condoms to take to Romania to protest the lack of birth control practices. Detained by Romanian customs, she somehow managed to keep out of jail by convincing the authorities that she was a harmless minister, and was just following her conscience. Surprisingly, they let her go, condoms and all.”

Ms. Bowering was active in many UU organizations and activities. Prior to Unitarian and Universalist consolidation, she chaired the Camps Study and Evaluation Committee, a joint effort of Universalist and Unitarian women’s groups. She served the Mass Bay Chapter of the UUMA as senior Good Offices team member, Nominating Committee member, and Fall Conference planning committee member; the UU Historical Society as board member and president; the UU Society for Ministerial Relief as First Vice President; the Church of the Larger Fellowship as board member and executive committee member; the UU Women’s Heritage Society as President; and the Continental Board of the UU Women’s Federation. She was the first female member of the ministerial study group, The Fraters of the Wayside Inn, and also held membership with the Cedar Hill Study Group, the Unitarian Universalist Retired Ministers and Partners Association, and the UUA Professional Support Services Committee. She enthusiastically supported and promoted the Clara Barton Camp for over fifty years and served as chair of the Clara Barton Birthplace Committee.

Janet valued her Universalist roots, and found it important to preserve the Universalist legacy. She served the Board of the Universalist Heritage Foundation, the Massachusetts Association of Universalist Women, and the Massachusetts Universalist Convention.

An avid traveler, Janet loved to explore new places and meet new people. She collected foreign dolls, purchased during her travels and given to her by friends and family; Jan could tell the story of each of the more than 100 dolls in the collection, explaining the doll’s origin, its unique meaning, and the reason it had been selected. Jan was also an amateur potter, painter, and naturalist; and she relished time spent with her family at their summer house in rural Maine.

Jan’s family remembers her as “extremely inquisitive,” and “very practical.” One of her daughters, Diana Bowering, describes how her mother was quick to take action upon hearing of a problem, and lived with a mentality of “let’s not talk about it, let’s get down there and do something about it.” Jan was known as extremely hard working and “wasn’t one to sit around.” Diana reports that even after her mother had been hospitalized and was suffering from a wandering mind, Jan said of the hospital stay, “In theory, I don’t think this is the best use of my time.”

Holly Baylies offered these words at Janet’s memorial service: “I could never get over Jan’s bubbly and joyful outlook as she faced each new day, with that indomitable smile that never faded, looking for the good to be found, no matter what she might be facing. I was always in awe of her ability to rush into each day as if was a treat to be alive, and her ability to hold onto all that was good, always truly seeking out the best in people.”

Jan’s surviving family members include children, Dawn Jordan, Diana Bowering, and Alan Bowering, granddaughter, Laura Morley, and great-grandson, William Morley.

A memorial gathering was held on 26 July 2014 in Haverhill. A Celebration of Life took place on 20 September 2014 at the UU Church of Haverhill. A marvelous collection of photos of Janet may be seen at http://driscollfuneralhome.tributes.com/obituary/photos/Rev.-Janet-H.-Bowering-101528418.

Memorial donations are encouraged to The Clara Barton Camp, P.O. Box 356 North Oxford, MA 01537 (www.bartoncenter.org); Ferry Beach Park Association, 5 Morris Avenue, Saco, ME 04072 (www.ferrybeach.org); or Merrimack Valley Hospice of Home Health Foundation, Attn: Tammy Stott, 360 Merrimack Street, Building 9, Lawrence, MA 01843 (www.homehealthfoundation.org).