Category: Obituary: H

The Rev. Ronald “Ron” A. Hersom died on April 22, 2022, at the age of 71.

Ron is survived by his daughter, Tamara Young of Iowa; his brother, Eugene F. Hersom, Jr.; his nephew, Eugene F. “Fred” Hersom III; and a grandniece of Maine.

A memorial service will be held on Sunday, May 29, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Jacksonville, 7405 Arlington Expressway, Jacksonville, FL 32211.  All are welcome.  The service will be steamed on Zoom.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to any agency supporting people who have fled the violence in Ukraine or to the UUSC‘s Emergency Response Fund. UURMaPA will contribute $50 to the UUMA Endowment Fund in honor of our colleague’s ministry.

Notes of condolences can be written here.

A more complete obituary will be forthcoming after biographical research has been completed.

The Rev. Diana Marie Heath died on September 7, 2021, at the age of 79.

Diana is survived by her sisters: Georgia Heath Linam, Cheri Heath Fuller, and Marilyn Heath Morgan; her brother: George F. Heath Jr.; her daughters: Judith Tiller Meine, Wynne Tiller Terlizzi, Anne-Marie Niemeck Miller, Jennifer Diane Niemeck, and their spouses; her grandchildren: James Tiller, Clint Meine, Matthew Meine, Domenico Terlizzi, Elona Terlizzi, Giacomo Terlizzi, Madison Miller, Ryan Miller, William Miller, Sara Natasha Luz, and Darius Georgaras; and great granddaughter: Amelia Marie Tiller.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 9, 2021, at the First Unitarian Church of Dallas, 4015 Normandy Avenue, Dallas, TX 75205. (RSVP is required due to limited attendance and COVID protocols; kindly RSVP to her daughter Anne-Marie Miller at 281-788-7545 by October 1st.)

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Genesis Women’s Shelter. UURMaPA will contribute $50 to the UUMA Endowment Fund in honor of our colleague’s ministry.

Notes of condolences can be sent to Judy Meine, 1804 Tartan Drive, Carrollton, TX 75006.

A more complete obituary will follow.

John A. Hayes, age 79, spouse of the Reverend Susan LaMar, died at home 13 January 2021, after living with Myeloma for over ten years. Jack was born in Milford Massachusetts, attended Hopedale public schools, graduating from the high school in 1959.

Even before graduation, however, he had begun working to help support his family, as his mother’s health declined. In 1960 he began in the stock room of Worcester County Electric (later Massachusetts Electric.) He rose through several positions there, becoming Union Steward and a member of the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Electric Credit Union. He also served as a Reserve Police Officer and as a volunteer member of the Zoning Board of Appeals.

In 1973 Jack was elected to the Hopedale Board of Selectmen, and after successive re-elections became the town’s Administrator in 1983. He left that position and moved to Millbury several years later. In 1994 he became Chief Security Supervisor at Centrum, a public arena and convention center in Worcester, MA. Jack retired from that position in 2002 to follow Susan as her career developed. That led them to California and then to Ellicott City, Maryland. In 2016 they returned to Massachusetts and settled in Uxbridge.

Jack was a model railroader, finishing his most recent layout in 2019, despite his illness. He followed politics closely and to the end read the Washington Post daily, particularly his favorite columnists.

He is survived by Susan; his daughter Suzanne Hayes Lesch, her husband Will Lesch and their two children; his sisters Anne, wife of John Hogarth of Hopedale MA, and Barbara Sullivan of Medfield MA; several nieces and nephews and cousins; and his former wife, Marge Jensen of Braintree Vermont. 

There will be no public memorial service. Jack’s family requests that memorial gifts be directed to your local food bank.

The Rev. Kenneth “Ken” Helms died on December 12, 2020 at the age of 84.

Ken is survived by his wife of 49 years, Anne Adams Helms. He is also survived by three sons, Jeffrey Brian Helms, Nathan Brent Helms, and Drew Brandon Helms; three step-daughters, Virginia Mayhew, Alison Jaques, and Sylvia Desin; six grandchildren and four step grandchildren, and many friends who loved and enjoyed spending time with him. He will be missed.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Monterey Bay Area or Black Lives Matter. UURMaPA will contribute $50 to the UUMA Endowment Fund in honor of our colleague’s ministry.

Notes of condolences may be sent to Anne Helms, 25350 Camino de Chamisal, Salinas, CA. 93908-8926.

A more complete obituary will be forthcoming after biographical research has been completed.

The Rev. Linda M. Hansen died on October 30, 2020 at the age of 71.

Linda is survived by her sister Marian Hansen, and loving friends and family members.

In keeping with Linda’s wishes, no memorial service is planned. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Humane Animal Welfare Society of Waukesha County (WI), the Zilber Family Hospice, or a charity of your choice. UURMaPA will contribute $50 to the UUMA Endowment Fund in honor of our colleague’s ministry.

Notes of condolences may be sent to Marian Hansen, 12585 W. Beloit Rd., New Berlin, WI, 53151.

A more complete obituary will be forthcoming after biographical research has been completed.

The Rev. Dr.  Nancy Holden died on August 1, 2020, at the age of 85.

Nancy is survived by her children Willie, Reuben, and Lorraine; her grandchildren Emily, Brian, Martha, Henry, Sophia, Dawn, Manny, Ben, and Solomon; and her beloved cats Howie, Teddy, and Penelope. She was preceded in death by her husband Doug, and her son Henry.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the charity of one’s own choosing or to Buen Vecino, to the Chalice UU congregation, or to the Southern Poverty Law Center. UURMaPA  will contribute $50 to the UUMA Endowment Fund, in honor of our colleague’s ministry.

A memorial service will be held live via Zoom on Saturday, September 12, 2020 at 2 pm Pacific Time by Chalice Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of the Conejo Valley, CA.

Notes of condolences may be sent to Willie Lubka, 2178 La Granada Drive, Thousand Oaks, CA 91362.

A more complete obituary will follow.

The Rev. Heather Lynn Hanson died on November 24, 2019, at the age of 81.

Heather is survived by her sons Trevor and Shane; her brothers, Kirk Campbell and wife Janet, and Doug Campbell and wife Ellen.

In lieu of flowers, donations are encouraged to the UU Fellowship of Corvallis, 2945 NW Circle Blvd, Corvallis, OR 97330.  UURMaPA will contribute $50 to the UUMA Endowment Fund in honor of our colleague’s ministry.

A memorial service will take place at 11 am on Wednesday, January 15, 2020 at the UU Fellowship of Corvallis, 2945 NW Circle Blvd, Corvallis, OR 97330.

Notes of condolence may be sent to Trevor Hanson at 1232 Crescent Dr, Albany, OR 97321.

A more complete obituary will be forthcoming after biographical research has been completed.

The Rev. Dr.  Hugo “Holly” J. Hollerorth died on September 22, 2019, at the age of 94.

Holly is survived by his daughter Rachel Buerlen and his grandchildren Holly Buerlen, Jason Buerlen, and Nicole Hunter. 

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the ACLU; to Planned Parenthood; and to the Head Start-South Middlesex Opportunity Council. 

UURMaPA will contribute $50 to the UUMA Endowment Fund in honor of our colleague’s ministry.

A celebration of Holly’s life will take place at 1 pm on Saturday, November 16, 2019, at the First Parish in Framingham, 24 Vernon St, Framingham, MA 01701.

Notes of condolence may be sent to Rachel Buerlen at 33 Thurston Hill Road, Rutland, MA 01543-1626.

A more complete obituary will be forthcoming after biographical research has been completed.

The Reverend Dr. Richard Henry—parish minister, scholar of Czech Unitarianism, avid sailor and mountain climber, and vigorous social activist—died in Seattle on 6 August 2018, aged 97.

In retirement, Dick traveled to Prague six times for research in the Čapek archive at the Unitarian church, eventually publishing Norbert Fabián Čapek: A Spiritual Journey (Skinner House Press, 1999), the first book-length biography of that liberal religious martyr. His second book was Eleanor Roosevelt and Adlai Stevenson (Palgrave Macmillan, 2010).

Besides scholarship, the Rev’d Mr. Henry was actively engaged throughout his parish career in social service causes, including Planned Parenthood and the Clergy Council on Abortion. He was an active leader in mental health issues and was twice a delegate to international mental health congresses in London and Toronto. In Denver, CO, he was the founding president of the Good Death Fellowship, promoting death with dignity.

Richard Henry was born on 5 February 1921 in Boston to Richard Henry and Dorothy Miller. He earned an A.B. in philosophy at Harvard University in 1943 and a B.D. at Union Theological Seminary (NY) in 1946. Mr. Henry was ordained on 17 February 1946 by the First Unitarian Society of Brooklyn, NY, where he served as assistant minister (1945–49) under the Rev’d John Howland Lathrop. He moved on to senior ministries at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Church (Knoxville, 1949–57), the First Unitarian Society of Denver (1957–77), and the First Unitarian Church in Salt Lake City (1977–86), from which he retired on 1 August 1986 as Emeritus Minister, having meanwhile, in 1979, been awarded a D.D. by Meadville Lombard Theological School.

At his death, Dick Henry was survived by his wife Pat, and his sons Seth and Evan. A Celebration of Life was held on 15 September 2018, at Horizon House, Seattle, WA.

Hollis Wilburn Huston, Jr., the spouse of the Reverend Carol Huston, died peacefully at home in his Manhattan apartment on 2 August 2018. His wife, Carol, daughters Vanessa and Linnea, and Linnea’s fiancé Scott Will, were there with him in the last days. He is also survived by his mother, Annie Laura Cotten, sisters Becca and Laura, and nephew and nieces

He was born on 10 April 1947, in Durham, North Carolina. His family relocated frequently during his youth. After attending Loomis School in Windsor, CT, he attended Oberlin College and graduated with honors in June 1968.  Hollis earned a Master’s Degree in Theatre from Tufts University and a Ph.D. from Ohio State University.

Hollis and Carol were married in 1968. Carol pursued careers as a teacher and a Unitarian Universalist minister. Hollis taught acting and theater courses at several universities, and was also active as a producer, director, and performer.

In St. Louis, he founded the Holy Roman Repertory Company (“Not holy, not Roman, just damn good radio”). In collaboration with others, he produced radio programs featuring performances of historical writings and music. The programs were recorded in live performance and then broadcast on NPR. 

After moving to metro New York, where Carol served as minister of Community Unitarian Church in White Plains, Hollis followed his own call. He earned a Masters of Divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary in 2006. Even before graduation, he began work as a hospice chaplain. He is fondly remembered for his 13 years of work as a chaplain through early April 2018. He also preached at local UU churches, and maintained a blog entitled “The Next Circle.”

Hollis had been treated for prostate cancer in 2007, but his symptoms reappeared in 2015. He was able to keep working, reading and writing, but the disease worsened in 2018. He fractured his hip at the end of May, which led to hospitalization and rehab. On 21 July, he returned home for hospice care.

Memorial donations are encouraged to the Living Legacy Scholarship Fund, to support participation of people with limited funds in a Pilgrimage to Civil Rights Movement sites.  Send contributions to John W. Harris, Treasurer for the Living Legacy Project, 9050 Fathers Legacy Unit 253, Ellicott City, MD 21042-5195.

Notes of condolence can be sent to Carol Huston, 940 St. Nicholas Ave SE, New York, NY 10032  revcarol@earthlink.net