Category: Obituary: C

The Reverend Dr. John Alexie “Lex” Crane — long-time parish minister, social activist, and mentor to aspiring colleagues — whose dry and acerbic wit complemented a persona at once gentle and curmudgeonly, died on August 7, 2015, at the age of 93.

Lex was a voracious reader, a talented writer, and an impressive polymath. His children fondly recall his intelligence; his son, Jack, writes: “He developed a love of study, stayed abreast of thinking in literature, the arts, liberal theology, philosophy, and social sciences. This passion coupled with his oratorical skills, made Lex unusually able to communicate the big ideas to folk who didn’t have the leisure or luxury of regular study.” These wide-ranging interests led Lex and his wife Ginny to travel throughout the world, venturing to Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. Especially memorable was a semester in China with Santa Barbara City College in 1989, where they witnessed the student protests at Tiananmen Square in Beijing.

The Rev. Mr. Crane became a minor celebrity in 1962 when the fear-mongering agenda of the John Birch Society (then recently founded) came to his attention, and he responded with a prophetic sermon against the organization’s ideology and activities. Shortly thereafter Santa Barbara’s local newspaper ran a special edition with a front page anti-Birch editorial and a reprint of Mr. Crane’s sermon text on the inside. The Associated Press picked up the story, and a CBS-TV crew with newsman Harry Reasoner showed up to film Lex redelivering his sermon from the Santa Barbara pulpit. Although pro-Birch vandals spray-painted a hammer and sickle on the church’s exterior and threw rotten vegetables at the parsonage, the episode eventually contributed to crippling the Birchers’ influence across the country. For his role, John Alexie Crane was awarded an honorary doctorate by Starr King School for the Ministry. His sermon text closed with a reflection of notable empathy:

“We ought to try not to hate them [local Birch activists], be disgusted with them, shout and snarl at them, for this will only drive them deeper into their relation with the group, for there they will find acceptance and confirmation. We ought to be as patient as we can, realizing that the people are doing what they feel they must do. They are as much to be pitied as censured. They are terribly frightened. Everywhere they look they see Communists. They don’t know whom to trust, to depend on. Don’t condemn them. Don’t threaten them. Let them talk about their views. Question them closely. Sometimes just hearing their own words spoken in the presence of someone who is calm and rational will help them to feel their absurdity. Be patient. Be firm. This too will pass, if we are alert and watchful.”

John Alexie Crane was born in Baltimore on January 14, 1922 to John A. and Minnie E. Crane. He was graduated from the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute in 1939 and served in the U.S. Army from 1942 to 1945 in both the South Pacific and Europe, suffering severe wounds during the Battle of the Bulge. He returned to earn a B.A. in English in 1949, an M.A. in creative writing in 1950 from Johns Hopkins University, an M.Div. from Starr King School for the Ministry in 1951, and—midway through a long pastorate in Santa Barbara—a second M.A. (in social psychology) from the University of California in 1971, leading to his licensure as a California Marriage and Family Counselor.

Mr. Crane began his career in parish ministry in 1951 with a call to the First Unitarian Church in Vancouver, BC, where he was ordained the next year and served until 1955. He moved on to ministry at the (now UU) Community Church of Park Forest, Illinois (1955-58), the Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara, California (1958-77), and the Jefferson Unitarian Church of Golden, Colorado (1977-81). After two years as the UUA’s Director of Ministerial Education (1981-83), the Rev. Mr. Crane returned to the parish with a call to UU Church of Yakima, Washington, serving there until his retirement in 1987, upon which he was named Minister Emeritus. Unwilling to relax his commitment to UU parish service, he spent the next fifteen years of his “retirement” serving interim ministries in Southern California. After a final retirement in 2002, he was voted Minister Emeritus to the Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara.

In addition to social service and activism outside congregational walls in communities where he served, the Rev. Mr. Crane lent his support to the wider UU movement. He served three terms on the Executive Board of the UUMA (1963-65, 1973-75, and 1991-92), editing the UUMA newsletter during his first term. His passion for ministerial education and personal mentoring was deepened by this experience. He went on to serve as a Trustee of Starr King School for the Ministry (1968-74) and on the faculty and staff of UU leadership schools (1984-87, 1993-95). In 2008 he received the annual Creative Sageing Award of the UU Retired Ministers and Partners Association.

In addition to a booklet “Developing an Extended Family Program” (1972) and a number of articles and scholarly papers, Lex Crane published several books, including Keeping in Touch: Self, Sex and Society (1975), Love, Sex and the Human Condition: Getting a Life (2006), A New Perspective on the Philosophy of UU Religion (2008), and To the Best of My Recollection…a memoir (2012).

Lex’s wife, Virginia (“Ginny”), survived him by only a few months. Other survivors include sons John (“Jack”) Crane III and Douglas L. Crane, step-daughter Claire Beery, step-sons Evan and Eric Blickenstaff, grandchildren Molly and Allie, Alex and Kirra, Willow, Mira and Zoë, John and Alex, and two great-grandchildren. Lex was preceded in death by a son, David L. Crane.

A memorial service was held on November 22, 2015, at the Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara. Contributions in Lex’s memory are encouraged to Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara, 1535 Santa Barbara St., Santa Barbara, California 93101 (http://www.ussb.org). Letters of condolence may be sent to Jack Crane, 239 1/2 Olive Ave., Long Beach, CA 9O8O2 or jabungusintl@gmail.com.

The Rev. I. Gregg Carter, parish minister, amateur organist and music lover, and expert calligrapher, died on 20 April 2014 at the age of 85.

Ira Gregg Carter was born 28 February 1929 in Birmingham, Alabama, the only child of Joseph and Lena (Gregory) Carter, but soon moved with his parents to the small town of Amory, Mississippi, where he grew up and attended a Bible-centered church with his mother. After high school he began study at Southwestern College, a small historically Presbyterian school in Memphis.

Once there, he later recalled, “my childhood faith lasted only a few weeks.” As a quintessential seeker and “constant questioner,” he found his way to the Unitarian church in Memphis, where the Rev. Richard B. Gibbs articulated religious views that “made sense” and provided a “pivotal link” in Mr. Carter’s eventual pursuit of professional ministry. After earning a B.S. in psychology and sociology in 1949 from Southwestern (renamed Rhodes College in 1984), he was a social worker for the Tennessee Department of Welfare and then entered active duty in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. Honorably discharged with the rank of corporal, he enrolled at Meadville Lombard Theological School and received his B.D. in 1956.

Gregg Carter was ordained to the Unitarian ministry by the Westminster Congregational Society (Unitarian) in Providence (now in East Greenwich), where he continued serving as minister until 1963. While there, parishioners introduced him to Jane Parrott, an M.A. student in English at the University of Rhode Island in nearby Kingston. They were married in 1961. After a call to the Unitarian Church of Staten Island (1963-68) and a one-year yoked ministry with the Unitarian Church of Sharon and the First Universalist Church of Foxborough (1968-69), he went on to parish settlements at the Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson (1969-74), the UU Church of Greater Lynn (1974-77), and the First Congregational Parish in Kingston (1977-88)—all in Massachusetts.
He concluded his parish career with seven years of interim ministries at the UU Congregation of Fort Wayne, Indiana (1989-91), the Oak Ridge (Tennessee) UU Church (1991-92), the UU Church (now the Unity Temple UU Congregation) in Oak Park, Illinois (1992-93), and the First Universalist Church of Yarmouth, Maine (1994-95). In retirement, he lived in Somerset, Mass, on Cape Cod.

The Rev. Mr. Carter served the UUA and his ministerial colleagues in several capacities. He was a member of the Southern New England Unitarian Council (1957-58), advisor to the Narragansett Federation of Liberal Religious Youth (1957-58), secretary of the Channing Conference of Unitarian Churches (1957-58). president and scribe of the Channing-Murray Unitarian Ministers’ Association (1957-61), board member of the New England Unitarian Ministers’ Association (1957-61), program chair of the Greenfield Study Group of UU Ministers (1962-64), member of the Social Concerns Committee of the Metro NY UU Churches (1966-67), program chair and secretary-treasurer of the Central Massachusetts chapter of the UUMA (1971-72), and treasurer of the Unitarian Sunday School Society (1976-77).

Mr. Carter was an amateur organist and had a lifelong appreciation for music. He was a talented student of calligraphy and taught several classes on the subject. Additionally, he was fascinated with the history of religion, and was an avid reader. His wife Jane recalls him as “one of the kindest people who ever walked the earth; . . . everyone who knew him felt that way about him.” She remembers him fondly as a “wonderful father” and a gifted minister who was “excellent at extemporaneous prayers and preaching.”

Besides his wife, Gregg Carter is survived by son Scott Barton Carter, daughter Catherine E. Carter, son-in-law Kevin Seward, sister-in law Marcia Akerholm, and many cousins in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Virginia.

In gratitude to the Cape Cod program that has provided ongoing support for Gregg and Jane’s son Scott, who is challenged by autism and epilepsy, the family encourages donations in Gregg Carter’s name and memory to CapeAbilities, 895 Mary Dunn Road, Hyannis, Massachusetts 02601.

Notes of condolence may be sent in care of Jane Carter, 103 Sanford Ave, Somerset, Massachusetts 02726-5209.

The Rev. Dr. Gaston Marcel Carrier, 92, died on June 20, 2012. Rev. Carrier was born in Montréal, Québec, Canada on January 14, 1920 to Alfred and Adelina (LaPierre) Carrier. Rev. Carrier attained his Bachelor of Arts degree from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario and Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia in 1941. After studies in theology at the Montréal Divinity School and Emmanuel College, he received his B.D. from Meadville Theological School in 1947.  He then went on to earn a Master of Education from the University of Bridgeport, CT in 1959, and a Master of Arts in French Literature from the University of Vermont in 1968. He received an honorary Doctor of Divinity from Meadville Lombard Theological School in 1973. Rev. Carrier was ordained by the United Church of Canada in Montreal on September 10, 1943. In the early years of his ministry, he worked at Unitarian churches in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and Cohasset, MA. He then went on to work at the First Grace Universalist Church in Lowell, MA from 1952-1957; and the Universalist Congregation of Danbury, CT from 1957-1961. In 1961, he was called to the First Unitarian Universalist Society of Burlington, VT. He stayed there until his retirement in 1978 when he was also voted Minister Emeritus of the church. Rev. Carrier was active in the Civil Rights Movement and helped found Planned Parenthood in Burlington, VT. He was a member of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors, the Community Council of Greater Burlington, the Burlington Council of Churches, and the Champlain Valley Clergy Association. A true bibliophile, Rev. Carrier enjoyed adding to his library whenever possible. Throughout his long life, he pursued an abiding love of all things French Canadian including history, literature, language, culture and antiques. A writer, he published a book, Prayers, in 1971; and in 1973, he wrote and published a children’s story entitled Johnny Peanut. Throughout his ministry (and in all these endeavors), Rev. Carrier was supported by his wife of 64 years, an active Unitarian-Universalist, Mary (Archibald) Carrier. Although Mary had a demanding full-time career of her own, she was the Director of Religious Education at both the Burlington and Danbury churches, and was tremendously active on committees and in the life of both churches, as well as in Lowell. She accompanied Rev. Carrier to General Assembly, and hosted “Thursday Night Suppers” for small groups of parishioners to encourage community and discussion, rotating through the entire congregation and then starting all over again. A true ministerial partner, she supported her husband’s ministry in extraordinary ways throughout his career and their lives together. In a personal statement, Rev. Carrier once noted that he established his ministry “upon a foundation of personal dedication, utter sincerity, and rich inner resources of a kind and generous spirit.” Rev. Carrier is survived by daughter, Michèle Carrier; daughter, Natalie Carrier and her husband, David Ackerman; daughter, Jill Carrier and her husband, David Duncan; daughter, Hilarie Terebessy and her husband, David Terebessy; grandchildren, Samuel and Sarah Duncan, and Matthew and Nina Terebessy; his brother, Jean-Paul Carrier; and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his wife, Mary (Archibald) Carrier. In lieu of flowers, donations in Rev. Carrier’s memory may be sent to the Committee on Temporary Shelter, P.O. Box 1616, Burlington, VT 05402. A memorial service, overlooking Lake Champlain, was held on Saturday, September 1, 2012 at 2 p.m. at Bishop Booth Conference Center, 20 Rock Point Circle, Burlington, VT, 05408. Notes of condolence may be sent to Jill Carrier, 113 Ocean St., Dorchester, MA 02124.

Mary Archibald Carrier, 88, wife of the Rev. Gaston M. Carrier, died September 14, 2008. A native of Lexington MA, she graduated from Acadia University in Nova Scotia and earned credentials as a psychiatric social worker at Simmons School of Social Work in Boston. She worked in Montreal, Chicago and Burlington VT, and volunteered with the UUSC. Never a minister’s wife but always the wife of a minister, she supported her husband’s ministry in a variety of ways. She served as DRE in Burlington VT and Danbury CT and oversaw expansion and revitalization of both RE programs. She also found time to participate in the social life of the churches. She loved the outdoors and will be remembered for decorating the sanctuary with wildflowers and other natural objects. Serving as a founding member of the Committee on Temporary Shelter (COTS), was just one of her many contributions to the Burlington Community. She was involved in handicrafts of many types and participated in many juried shows throughout Vermont. After she retired she worked as a guide at the Shelburne Museum.

Julia Cairns, widow of the Rev. Fred Cairns, died Dec. 29, 2007 in her late 80’s. Her son Ken said, “She died peacefully at her home with her family around her. She was a great lady.” Anne Orfald wrote: “She was a lovely person who had a good life, and was relatively independent in a residence where she could sleep ’til noon if she wished, enjoyed reading, got around with a walker, could take meals in the dining room when she chose, and was happy that her daughter-in-law was on the staff of the home. According to Charles Eddis, Fred Cairns was a staunch humanist who served congregations in Needham, MA, Madison, WI, and Hamilton, ON.

The Rev. Helena P. Chapin, 68, died June 21, 2006 in Rochester, NY, of pneumonia. She earned a BA at the University of Michigan, and received an M.Ed. at the University of Maryland. She completed her Minister of Religious Education in the Independent Study Program. She was ordained in 1985 by the North Shore Unitarian of Deerfield, IL, and then served the First Parish of Framingham, MA. She also served Paint Branch Unitarian Universalist Church in Adelphi, MD, the First Unitarian Society of Schenectady, NY and the First Church in Belmont, MA. She later served the North Shore Unitarian Church in Deerfield, and First Unitarian Church in Rochester, NY, from which she retired. She volunteered for Planned Parenthood, The Susan B. Anthony House, and was an advocate for seniors and animals. Survivors include her children: Edwin, Todd and Leila Chapin. A memorial service was scheduled for July 1 at the UU Church of Canandaigua.

Freda Wolfe Carnes, widow of the Rev. Paul Carnes, third President of the UUA, died September 18, 2004 in Boston. Freda married Paul following World War II, after Carnes’ release as a prisoner of war. They were parents to Paul Nathaniel, Jr., and Molly. Freda was committed to studies in education and child development, which she pursued in Cleveland, OH and Buffalo, NY. In Buffalo, she was assistant professor in the early childhood department of the State College Learning Lab. The Carneses lived in Youngstown, OH; Memphis, TN; Buffalo and Boston, where they moved when Paul was elected UUA president in 1977. Freda is survived by her children and three grandchildren. A service memorial service was held at October 2 at King’s Chapel.

The Rev. Jesse Raymond Cavileer, 87, died June 4, 2004. He held an AB from Syracuse University and and BD from Union Theological Seminary. He served congregations in Cleveland, Ohio; Chicago, IL; Pittsburgh, PA (minister emeritus); Missoula, MN; Glasgow, Scotland. He was active community affairs and chaired the Civil Liberties Clearing House in Cleveland and was on the board of the ACLU in Pittsburgh. He was also active in local antipoverty programs and neighborhood alliances.