Category: Obituary: H

Stewart Hild

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 Higgins

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.

Bob Hemstreet

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.]

Phyllis Helligas, widow of the Rev. Byrd Helligas, died August 14, 2016 in Arcata, CA at the age of 92. She was born of parents Hazel and Irvin Carlson in Isle, Minnesota in 1924. Phyllis married Daniel Brant in 1946 when he returned from military service. In 1952 they moved to Arcata CA, when Dan Brant started to teach at Humboldt State College. They divorced in 1968 after their three children were raised.

Phyllis had graduated from the University of Minnesota 1945, with a B.S. degree in Home Economics Education. She later went back to college and received a B.S. degree in political science from Humboldt State and an M.S degree in Public Administration from the University of California at Berkeley, then began a long career in Personnel Administration for the City of Sunnyvale.

She married Byrd Helligas in 1971 and they converted a potato chip factory into a Bed and Breakfast. When they left that, they started a business filling in for other Bed and Breakfast proprietors.

She returned to Arcata in 1989 after her retirement from Sunnyvale. Phyllis was active in local community activities, having been a charter member of the Humboldt County League of Women Voters and of the Humboldt Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. Her later years were devoted to population control movements including Planned Parenthood. Phyllis was an outspoken atheist who was proud of her life membership in the Freedom from Religion Foundation. She also appreciated her women’s group, other affinity groups who kept her engaged with life, and especially the Unitarian Universalists.

Phyllis designed the house that she and Dan built with their own hands in Arcata and enjoyed designing and remodeling homes and cabins with Byrd in later years. She spent many happy hours with family and friends and by herself at her cabin at Big Lagoon and served on the Board of Directors for the Big Lagoon Park Company for over 20 years.

She is survived by her two sons, Peter Brant and his partner Denise Hisel of Arcata, Bruce Brant and his wife Roseanne from South Lake Tahoe; her daughter, Susan Brant Ruderian and husband Harvey Ruderian from Malibu; stepson Byrd Helligas, Jr. of Olympia, WA; stepson Aron Helligas and wife, Beth, of Portland, OR; and grandchildren, nieces, nephews and cousins in Minnesota and California.

Memorial gifts should be sent to the Humboldt Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Box 506, Bayside, CA 95524, or to Six Rivers Planned Parenthood, 3225 Timber Fall Court, Eureka, CA 95503.

Marilyn Blitzstein Hromatko, 68, wife of the Rev. Dr. Wesley V. Hromatko, died of cancer Oct. 31, 2015 at Morningside Heights Care Center in Marshall, MN. She was born to Leland and Ellinore Blitzstein in Chicago on Dec. 17, 1946. She attended Bradwell Elementary and graduated from South Shore High in 1965. The city of Chicago gave her a citizenship award. Some of her most enjoyable experiences were at Camp Pinewood, MI.

Following graduation, she studied at Roosevelt University, then at Northern Illinois University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree. At NIU she had poetry — some in Latin — published in the literary journal Towers.

Marilyn received a master’s degree in English two years later, then studied at Kent State where she was a resident assistant during the campus disturbance there. Her role, as part of the residence hall team, was to help restore calm. Marilyn held a variety of jobs; her favorite was working at a summer camp in the Rockies. Marilyn loved the outdoors.

She enjoyed selling lamps, records, and books at Carson, Pirie Scott, & Company, where her grandmother, Emma Solomon, worked. She was a Girl Scout executive in the Chicago area and later was a YWCA program director. Marilyn then studied at Meadville Lombard Theological School and the University of Chicago. She met the Rev. Dr. Wesley Hromatko, while he was serving First Unitarian Church of Hobart, IN. They were married September 17, 1978.

Religion interested her but preaching didn’t. She taught church school and was involved with the Central Midwest District religious education library. Marilyn was one of the organizers of the Tri-State UU Gathering. Toward the end of her life she returned to studying Biblical language. She was widely read in many subjects. She helped edit a physics book Conceptual Physics by Paul Hewitt. She was also an amateur radio operator and she had a great interest in the natural sciences.

In Illinois, Marilyn visited Abraham Lincoln sites museums and the homes of architect Frank Lloyd Wright, and author Ernest Hemingway. She was a member of the Chicago Art Institute and active in Independent Voters of Illinois. Sometimes she would meet Wesley at Chagall’s “American Windows.” While the Hromatkos lived in New England, they visited many historic sites, such as Robert Frost’s home in Derry, N.H.; the Freedom Trail with Old Ironsides, Plymouth, MA, Starr Island, Strawberry Bank, and Mystic Seaport, home of the last wooden whaler. They also visited the House of Seven Gables, Longellow’s birthplace and Cambridge home, Herman Melville’s farm, William Cullen Bryant’s farm, President Adams’ boyhood home and farm, and Concord where Emerson, Louisa May Alcott, and Henry David Thoreau lived. Marilyn loved the woods by Walden Pond. In high school she kept a picture of Walden in her room.

She came to the farm at Lake Wilson in 1990 when she and Wesley decided that they should stay to help his parents, A.J. and Maybelle Hromatko. The farm became home for her. She was active in the Grange there. She said it was the longest time that she had stayed in any one place. They went to Illinois to visit and help her mother several times. She is survived by her husband; her sisters Rabbi Ann Folb, Arlington, VA; Bonniejean (Mike Gualandi) Gualandi, Arizona City, AZ; her niece Leah and nephew Joshua; and brother Alan (Ellen) Learner, Tyler,TX; and a number or cousins.

Services were held Nov. 4 at Chandler Funeral Home, Chandler, MN. Interment will be at Mount Pisgah Cemetery in Hanska, MN, at a later date.

Notes of remembrance may go to Wesley Hromatko at 752 121st St., Lake Wilson, MN 56151.