Category: Obituary: K

The Rev. Dr. Virginia Perin Knowles, 87, died January 23, 2011 in Mitchellville, MD, following a long decline. She was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University. She also studied at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. The CIA recruited her to work with refugees and ex-patriots in Eastern Europe. Ginny worked in RE in Mt Vernon, VA and Bethesda, MD. She then worked with the Office (now Department) of Education as an international specialist. She went on to study for her D.Min. at Meadville Lombard and to serve churches in CA and PA. She became an accredited interim minister and served churches in IL, KY, NY, WI and MD. After retiring in 1992 she served the Lynchburg, VA congregation part-time for six years. She served on the governing board of the UUUN Office, Collegium and UUs for Social Justice. She is survived by her twins: Christopher (Kit) and Catherine Perin Knowles, of Tucson. She was predeceased by her son, Jeffrey.

Ruth Gregory Knapp, 82, widow of the Rev. Calvin Knapp, died in a motor vehicle accident June 8, 2007 on a family vacation to the Grand Canyon. The Knapps had served congregations in Quincy and Waltonville, IL, and Evansville, Terre Haute and Danville, IN. Ruth supported her husband’s ministry behind the scenes with everything from proofreading to research. She oversaw major church fundraising dinners and council of churches events. The family ran a travel agency and Ruth’s passion was planning and running motorcoach tours across the US and Canada with passengers from Nashville, through Kentucky and Evansville. Her favorite tour of them all was the New England Fall Foliage trip, which she directed for more than 25 years. She also enjoyed doing jigsaw puzzles. She is survived by their children: Gregory, Steven and Scott Knapp and Jane Knapp Walling; and by three grandchildren.

The Rev. Dr. Webster Lardner Kitchell, 71, died on February 9, 2009 of complications from Parkinson’s disease. He served churches in NYC, Kirkwood, MO, Houston, TX, and Santa Fe, NM. The Santa Fe congregation named him minister emeritus. He was active in the UU Historical Society. His community activities included The Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy, the Kirkwood, Missouri Ministerial Alliance, and president of the Committee for Responsible Citizenship. He loved cars from his first, a ’34 Ford convertible which he got when he was 19, to his last, a convertible Mustang. He was preceded in death by his wife of 23 years, Nancy Gay Mottweiler Kitchell. He is survived by his children Catherine, David and Benjamin, three stepchildren, three grandchildren and one step-grandchild, his companion, Nancy Driesbach, and his eldest brother, Frank.

The Rev. Dorothy Wilson Kimble, 69, died at home July 1, 2011 from pancreatic cancer. First trained as an RN, she said she grew up between the era of June Cleaver and the expectations and opportunities available to women today. She worked on medical and surgical hospital floors, as a visiting nurse, school teaching nurse and psych nurse. Dot went on to earn her BA from Framingham State College and her M.Div. from Andover Newton. She served churches in Northboro, MA; Marlboro, MA; Augusta, ME and Groton, MA. She is believed to be the first UU woman minister to be called to a permanent settlement in the state of Maine. She also served several parishes as an interim minister. She wrote poetry, sermons, nursing articles and had her work Sacred Trust: Ministering to Adult Survivors of Sexual Abuse published by the Alban Institute. Dot served as a Caring Network Contact for UURMaPA in our Connecticut Valley Region. She is survived by her husband, Stanley Kimble, and their daughters, Diane Kimble Willcutts and Laurie Kimble, and three grandchildren.

The Rev. Richard G. Kimball, 72, died June 23, 2007. He served congregations in Hingham, Westborough, Somerville, Billerica, Fitchburg, Woburn, Boston, West Roxbury and Essex, MA. He also served the Stockport, England, Unitarian Church. He was named minister emeritus by Theodore Parker UU Church, West Roxbury, in 1985 and by the First Universalist Church of Essex in 2004. He was a member of the UU Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns Committee, the Religious Arts Guild, the Interfaith Committee, the Visiting Nurses Association, and the Aids Action Committee among others. A gifted teacher, he was an instructor of Psychology at Bunker Hill Community College, Mass. Bay Community College, Newbury College and Berklee School of Music. His wife, Deirdre Kimball, and son Jordan Kimball survive him. A memorial service was held at Goddard Memorial Chapel, Tufts University, Medford, MA.

Doris McBride Kellison, 94, widow of the Rev. Walter E. Kellison, died February 19, 2011. The Kellisons served congregations in ME, MI and IA while they reared three children. A graduate of the Rochester Business Institute, Doris used her secretarial skills, first doing church work and then transcribing medical records. She went on to become the secretary for an internal medical practice for many years. She was a reader, who enjoyed good conversation. She also loved to walk. She liked to cook and was an avid recipe collector. She enjoyed growing basil and parsley in her garden to add her own touch to meals. Late in life she took up doing crosswords and double crostics. She was predeceased by her husband and by her daughter, Judith. She is survived by her children, Walter and Kathy, her daughter-in-law, two granddaughters and a great granddaughter.

The Rev. Byron E. Kelham died in Pueblo, Colorado, on April 14, 2013, at the age of 86. Devoted to community service and the larger cause of social justice, Mr. Kelham found meaning in serving on the boards of the Danbury, Conn, branch of the NAACP and the Human Relations Council. He also chaired the Chaplains’ Association of the Carnegie Institute of Technology.

Of the roles of minister and congregation, the Rev. Mr. Kelham once wrote:

“. . . it is the prime function of the church to help its members find a core of meaning around which the various fragments of their lives may be unified. Ideally, the minister should exemplify such a unified, “whole” life. Out of the strength and experience this gives him, he should, by means of ritual, preach- ing, and counseling, help others to achieve the same. . . . In so doing, the church and minister must at times vigorously protest and seek to correct those elements in our society, those demands, which are truly incompatible with such wholeness; prejudice, injustice, etc.”

Byron Elwood Kelham was born in Troy, Idaho, on February 28, 1927 to Edward and Alva Cartwright Kelham. He earned a B.Sc. from Lewis & Clark College in 1952 and a B.D. from Starr King School for the Ministry in 1955, and was ordained at the First Unitarian Church of Dallas on October 17, 1955. Among the churches he served before retirement in 1992 were the First Unitarian Church of Pittsburg (1964-68) and the First Unitarian Society of Pueblo, Colorado (1981-88).

Byron Kelham is survived by his wife, Ethyl Kelham; daughters, Rebecca Claussen, Cara Henderson, and Leslie Kelham; seven grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Society for Ministerial Relief, c/o Glen Snowden, Secretary, 34 Meeting House Lane, #201, Stow, Mass, 01775.

Notes of condolence may be sent to Leslie Kelham, 135 Vernon Pl., Pueblo, Colorado 81004.

The Rev. Dr. Robert F. Kaufmann, 89, died December 21, 2010 of bone cancer. He joined our ministry in midlife having been a comic book writer, a school registrar, a motion picture promoter and a diamond cutter in his teen and early adult years. He also was a comedy writer. For thirty years he served UU congregations across the country and around the world as both a settled and interim minister. He was named minister emeritus by the Long Beach, CA church. Bob also worked tirelessly to support the Ethical Culture Charter School Foundation in New York City. He called the last year of his life his most productive. At the time of his death he had just completed a book entitled I Love You, I Think, Or I Would If I Knew What It Meant: 27 Chapters of Wit & Wisdom on Life, Laughter, and Love (www.whatifpublishing.com). He is survived by his wife Arlene Kaufmann, their children Richard and Susan Kaufmann, their daughter-in-law and two grandchildren.

Arlene Shaw Kaufmann, 86, widow of the Rev. Robert F. Kaufmann, died Sept. 1, 2013, in Bellevue, WA. Her health had started to decline last December. The Kaufmanns served churches in CA, FL, MN and NY.  Bob was a parish minister and also served several interim ministries. Arlene is survived by her children, Susan S. Kaufmann and Richard Kaufmann, by her two grandchildren and her daughter-in-law.

Her daughter described Arlene as a “perpetual student.” She studied nutrition and nursing. She enjoyed playing bridge and participating in her book club. She was a serious walker, who clocked four miles a day.  The Kaufmanns became interested in patent medicines. They donated their extensive collection of elixirs and “fake cures” to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.  Arlene was also an avid postcard collector.

She and Bob were active in UURMaPA and enjoyed the occasional get-together. Arlene was a very social person.  One friend says, “Arlene was a bright, charming, and racious woman who collected many things including friends and bracelets of all sizes and descriptions. I will miss her.”

Notes of remembrance may be sent to Arlene’s daughter:  Susan Kaufmann, 13825 SE 60th St., Bellevue, WA 98006. A memorial service to celebrate Arlene’s life was held on Sunday, October 27, 2013 from 2:30-5 p.m. at East Shore Unitarian Church, 12700 SE 32nd St., Bellevue, WA.

The Rev. Mary M. Kapper died on November 25, 2011. She was 86 years old. Rev. Kapper was born in Brooklyn, NY on June 11, 1925 to Willard B. and Genevieve (Brady) Kapper. She graduated from St. Joseph’s College in 1947, and attained her Masters of Social Work from Case Western Reserve University in 1978. She received her Masters of Divinity from Starr King School for the Ministry in 1988.

Rev. Kapper was ordained by the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists on May 14, 1989. She was called to serve the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Mankato and the Nora Unitarian Universalist Church in Hanska from 1990-1991. She was a community minister at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley from 1991-2001. She also served as a hospice chaplain for Pathways Hospice and Home Health in Oakland, CA. In 2002, Rev. Kapper became a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron and served as the church’s Social Justice Chair from 2006-2007.

Rev. Kapper was involved in many social causes, working tirelessly to promote the civil rights of women and minorities. She helped to establish Akron Women Against Rape in 1974.

Rev. Kapper is survived by her son, John Barry and his wife, Rosemary; her son, Tom Barry; her son, James Barry; her daughter, Mary Ann Seiberling; her son, Matthew Barry and his fiancé, Chris; her son, Daniel Barry; her daughter, Jeannine Marks and her husband, Steve; her daughter, Maureen Rocha and her husband, Rodrigo; ten grandchildren; and seven great- grandchildren.

Rev. Kapper was preceded in death by a son, Mark Barry; and a daughter, Claire Simpson.

Family and friends paid their respects to the memory of Rev. Kapper on November 30, 2011 at Fairlawn West United Church of Christ in Akron, OH. Donations in Rev. Kapper’s memory may be made to Summa Hospice and Pallative Care Center, Founda- tion Office, P.O. Box 2090, Akron, OH 44398-6453.