Category: Obituary: H

 The Rev. Barbara E. Hollerorth, 82, died April 14, 2009. A pastoral counselor and therapist, she studied sociology at the University of Iowa and University of Chicago before earning a master’s degree in theological studies from the Federated Theological Schools of the University of Chicago. She served with her husband, the Rev. Hugo J. Holleroth, as co-minister of education at the Union Church of Hinsdale, IL. She was serving the Lexington, MA church, when she created the well-known The Haunting House curriculum. She earned her D.Min.at Andover-Newton Theological School. She helped create the UU Pastoral Counseling Center of Greater Boston and became its first director. The Center provided a resource for UU ministers to refer parishioners for long-term therapy. She was a therapist at the Homophile Community Health Service and the Gender Identity Service. After retiring she studied photography and exhibited her work in the Boston area. Barbara is survived by her husband, and her daughters, Rachel Buerlen and Rebecca Hunter, and three grandchildren.

Rachel Thorpe Hoagland, 92, widow of the Rev. Robert S. Hoagland, died November 30, 2010. She was a lifelong Unitarian. Rachel attended the Rhode Island School of Design. She shared her talents by teaching art classes to neighborhood kids, by sewing her family’s clothes, running her business Individuality (custom-made clothes), and designing outfits for her beloved modern dance group. After Robert died, the adventurer in her came out. Her travels took her camping and canoeing throughout the US and Canada and cruising around the world. She lived vigorously and with immense curiosity and wonder. Rachel was a role model for her many friends and colleagues, young and old alike. She was preceded in death by her husband and their daughter, Martha Hoagland. She is survived by her other three children: Alice Erickson, Anna Hoagland and Evan Hoagland and their spouses; by five grandchildren, five great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.

The Rev. Donald Manning Hinckley, 88, died October 13, 2008 in Augusta Maine. He served parishes in Waterville, Pittsfield, West Paris, Auburn, Houlton and Worcester, MA, and most recently All Souls UU Church, Oakland, ME. He played tennis into his 84th year and was a student of opera and classical music. His wife, Rosalyn (Ingalls) Hinckley of Augusta, ME survives, as does a daughter, son, grandson and four granddaughters.

The Rev. Stewart E. Hild, who devoted a life of service to parishes, local communities, and the wider UU movement, died on July 12, 2014 at the age of 90, after a brief illness.

Stewart E. Hild was born in Wilmington, Delaware, on March 3, 1924 to Edward and Grace Hild. He earned a B.S. degree at the University of Delaware in 1948 and an M.Div. degree at Drew University in 1951. He served in the Army Specialized Training Program during World War II.

Mr. Hild was ordained to the Methodist ministry in 1952 and served the Community Methodist Church in Massapequa, Long Island, from 1951 to 1956. After shifting to Unitarian ministerial fellowship in 1956, he filled two long pastorates, first at the Unitarian (now UU) Congregation of Franklin, New Hampshire (1958-75) and then at All Souls UU Church in Watertown, New York (1975-89), where he was named Minister Emeritus upon retirement in 1989.

The Rev. Mr. Hild served the larger UU movement in several capacities: on the board of the UUA’s New Hampshire/Vermont District, as chairman of that district’s Extension Department, and as Selma Presence Representative for the UUA.

During his parish ministries, Mr. Hild was actively devoted to the work of many local and regional agencies. While in Franklin, he served as vice president of the New Hampshire Council on World Affairs, co-chair of the Mayor’s Committee on Drugs and Drug Abuse, director of the Lakes Region Mental Health Association, and assistant at the Peabody Home for the Aged. In Watertown he served on the boards of the Family Counseling Service of Jefferson County, the Women’s Center of Jefferson County, Project Children North in Watertown, the Urban Mission, and as president of the Community Action Planning Council of Jefferson County.

Stewart enjoyed travel, reading, and sports. While living in New Hampshire, he taught several classes in the History of Religion at Proctor Academy.

He is survived by his wife, Alma H. Hild, sons Edward and Thomas, grandchildren Jared, Cora, and Wyatt, and many cousins.

Notes of condolence may be sent to Alma H. Hild, 274 Schley Drive, Watertown, NY 13601.

Jean L. Higgins, 85, wife of the Rev. Dr. Daniel G. Higgins, Jr., died January 9, 2014, with her family by her side. She was born August 4, 1928 in Baltimore, MD, to Eugene and Pearl Scheufele. She attended the University of Maryland, earning a degree in social work, and later served as a social worker in Baltimore. While at the university, she met Dan and they were married September 11, 1954. They were married 59 years.

The Higginses served congregations in Lubbock, TX; Malden, MA; Easton, MD; and Salisbury, MD. In addition to parenting and church work, Jean enjoyed reading and art appreciation. She also was a bird watcher.

After retiring in 1987, they moved to Georgia, to be closer to their daughters, Cynthia and Ann. Jean lived at a memory care facility and Cynthia took Dan to see her every other day, since he no longer drove.

In addition to her husband, Jean is survived by her sister, Leslie Everheart of Kensington, MD; and her children: Cynthia Westlake of Marietta, GA; Daniel G. Higgins III of Milton, MA; Ann Spicer of Atlanta, GA; and Kim Clark of Houston, TX. She is also survived by her grandchildren: Shane and Aubree Clark, Caitlin Higgins and Skyler Westlake. She was predeceased by her parents; her brother, R. Wayne Scheufele; and her grandson, Austen Westlake

Jean donated her body to medical research. A celebration of life was held this past summer in Easton, MD.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggested that donations be made to: Cure Alzheimer’s Fund (www.curealz.org), Anatomy Gifts Registry (www.anatomicgift.com), or the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Easton, 7401 Ocean Gateway, Easton, MD 21601.

Condolences may be sent to: Dan Higgins, 100 Whitlock Ave., Sullivan #1220, Marietta, GA 30064.

Margaret Hewett, 82, wife of the Rev. Phillip Hewett, died March 26, 2006 in Vancouver, BC. She was a birthright Unitarian in England, where she was national president of the Unitarian youth organization. A teacher and pre-school educator, she was active in peace, disarmament and international understanding, and received an outstanding service award from IARF. She was secretary to the board of the Vancouver Chamber Choir. She was a strong contralto, and also a vigorous hiker. For the last 25 years of her life she struggled courageously with the increasing ravages of rheumatoid arthritis. Margaret is survived by her husband of 55 years, two children and four grandchildren.

The Rev. Robert M. Hemstreet  — UU Humanist, creator of the Thanksgiving cider and cornbread communion, and lifelong searcher — died on February 11, 2015 at the age of 84.

Church life and work were early influences in Bob’s life. His grandfather was an Episcopal priest, with a ministry to the deaf. Mentored by a local Episcopal priest, Bob served as an altar boy in the church. But he was also was exposed at a young age to broader theological education, being raised in Canton, New York, where his grandmother rented rooms to students at the nearby St. Lawrence University Theological School. Ever curious and eager to learn, the story goes that young Bob spent many evenings with his ear pressed to a bedroom door, intently listening to the students’ theological discussions, all of which no doubt influenced his later religious journey.

Robert Merrill Hemstreet was born on May 25, 1930 to Albert B. and Beatrice Merrill Hemstreet. He earned a B.A. from New York University in 1952, and was drafted into the U.S. Army, receiving an honorable discharge in 1955. He went on to study at Crane Theological School of Tufts University, graduating with a M.Div. degree in 1964.

Ordained by the First Unitarian Church at Hamilton, Ontario, Canada in 1964, he served there from 1964 to 1968. From 1969 to 1972 he served as Minister-at-Large to the Greater Wilmington Council of Unitarian Universalist Societies, ministering half-time to fellowships in West Chester, PA and Newark, DE. Moving to full time ministry in Newark from 1972 to 1975, he also served as weekend minister in York, PA in 1973-74. He went on to serve as minister to the UU Church of Flushing, NY from 1976 to 1995, where he was elected Minister Emeritus in 1999.

Always active within the wider community and UU movement, he served as President of three UUMA Chapters (St. Lawrence, Joseph Priestley, and Metro NY), member of the Board of the Metro NY District, Trustee of the St. Lawrence Foundation for Theological Education, and member of the Flushing Interfaith Clergy Group. He founded and was elected President (1988) of Unitarian Universalists for Socialism, and was a faithful attendee at the annual Institute for Religion in an Age of Science at Star Island. The Thanksgiving Cornbread and Cider Communion that he wrote has been widely anthologized and is now a feature of many UU congregations across the continent.

Bob got his start in the anti-racist and socialist movements in his mid-teens, as a follower of C.L.R. James, an activist and author from Trinidad and Tobago, remaining an activist for the disenfranchised for his whole life. When the call came from Dr. Martin Luther King in 1965 for clergy to go to Selma, a former congregant of Bob’s felt it was so important for him to go that he emptied the cash register in the store he owned and gave Bob the $300 — Bob answered the call.

He was also dedicated to bettering his community and the world as an active member of the International Association for Religious Freedom, serving as the IARF American Chapter President from 1981 to 1984, and traveling to Europe several times.

Closer to home, he founded the original Queens chapter of Amnesty International during the 1970s, and served on the boards of the Queens Historical Society, the Queens Council of Churches, and the Queens Network for Intergroup Harmony.

Olav Nieuwejaar remembers Bob as “a wonderful man with a keen intellect and a great sense of humor, especially in the form of a practical joke.” Once, in an attempt to prove the uselessness of the self-proctored psychology test then used by the UUA for screening prospective ministers, he and some fellow Crane students together took the test as one person, creating a character with a real name but a totally fictionalized history. Olav recalls, “…before very long, the test was removed from the list of hoops we had to jump through and the Department [of Ministry] got serious about psychological screening.”

Bob’s interests were deeply embedded in his work. He found joy within social justice work and preaching; was an avid article-clipper; and appreciated reading, writing, and music. His wife Wendy remembers Bob as one who was “always searching,” even in his final days.

He is survived by his wife, Wendy Moscow, to whom notes of condolence may be sent at 25-18 Union Street, #5E, Flushing, NY 11354. His memorial service was held on March 21, 2015 at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Queens. Contributions in his memory are encouraged to the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, 689 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA  02139-3302 (http://www.uusc.org).

Wynanda Helverson, 93, died peacefully on June 9, 2012, just a week shy of her 94th birthday. Wynanda was the wife of the late Rev. Ralph Helverson, Unitarian-Universalist minister of First Parish in Harvard Square.

She was the mother of Donald Helverson of California and the late John Norman Helverson, and grandmother of Rebecca Byors of Maine, Sophia, Hope, and Annika Helverson, all of California, and great grandmother of Katlyn Byors. She is also survived by her sister, Betsy Hauser of Illinois, and several nieces. A private Memorial Service was held at Carleton-Willard Village, Bedford, MA. (This information is from the Anderson-Bryant Funeral Home).

Mr. Robert Holler, life partner of the Reverend Thomas Anastasi, died on October 30, 2016 at the age of 71. Bob made many friends at the congregations they served, especially at Shoreline, Washington and Goleta, California, where he and Thomas were married in August, 2013 — exactly 32 years after they met.

[A more complete obituary is pending.]

The Rev. Harold L. Hawkins, 96, died on August 29, 2016.

He is survived by his six children Donald R. Hawkins, Margaret Elaine Cox, James Alan Hawkins, Carolyn Blome, Harold Frederick Hawkins, and Joseph B. Hawkins; eleven grandchildren; and three great grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife Margaret Ann Johnson.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to UUCT/Freethinkers Forum Fund and mailed to UUCT, 2810 N Meridian Road, Tallahassee, FL 32312.

A memorial service was held on Saturday, October 1, 2016 at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tallahassee, 2810 N Meridian Rd, Tallahassee, FL 32312.

Notes of condolence may be sent to Joe Hawkins at 217 Rhoden Cove Rd, Tallahassee, FL 32312.

[A more complete obituary is pending.]