The Rev. Dr. Glen Snowden

The Rev. Dr. Glen Snowden died on June 21, 2020, at the age of 87.

He is survived by his fiancée, Margaret (Margi) Hoyt Nasemann; daughter Julie Snowden Martin; his grandsons: Jesse Tyler Martin and Gregory Kyle Martin; his sisters Barbara Green, Anna Mae Beddows and her husband Jerry; as well as many nieces, nephews, and close friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, wife Lorraine, son-in-law Rick Martin, brother Armon Snowden and sister Mary Lou Snowden.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the musical, educational, or religious institution of one’s own choosing. UURMaPA will contribute $50 to the UUMA Endowment Fund in honor of our colleague’s ministry.
A more complete obituary will be forthcoming after biographical research has been completed.

The Rev. Robert “Bob” L. Schaibly

The Rev. Robert “Bob” L. Schaibly died on November 11, 2019, at the age of 77.

The Reverend Bob Schaibly—whose life path was deeply shaped by Unitarian Universalism, by participation in the 1965 Selma march in his senior year of college, and by a mid-life embrace of Buddhist practice—died on 11 November 2019, aged 77, of complications from a more than 30-year battle with throat cancer.

Bob found his interest in Buddhism to be transformatively deepened in 1988 when Thich Nhất Hanh came to speak at the Houston (TX) church where Bob was serving. Already in the early stages of cancer therapy, Bob recalled that “Thầy,” as he was familiarly called, “saw the still-desperate look in my eyes as I was struggling to recover from radiation treatment. His personal message for me was that being was an important practice, since most people find their self-worth in doing.” On returning from his first retreat with Thầy the next year, Bob founded the Houston Zen Community and then supported the development of the Houston Sangha. In 1992 he was invited by Thầy to come to Plum Village, to receive the lamp transmission, and to be ordained as a Dharma teacher, whereupon he was given the name “True Deliverance.”

Buddhist teaching continued as a major focus of ministry for Bob after retiring from parish ministry and moving to Oregon. He became active in Portland’s First Unitarian Church, a weekly Sangha, and a Buddhist men’s group. Bob’s husband, Steven Storla, having heard many of Bob’s sermons and Dharma talks, described him as “a wonderful and powerful speaker.” In the memory of his friends in the Buddhist community, Bob touched many lives, and he is remembered for his kind, inspiring, and compassionate demeanor, [as he] continued to share his wisdom by his loving presence. Despite many years of health challenges and limitations, he consistently taught how to meet suffering with equanimity. Bob shared his true self—all of his humanity—by being transparent and vulnerable, and by being open to the “full catastrophe” when it arose.

Robert Lloyd Schaibly was born on 16 August 1942 in Lansing MI, to Robert Lloyd Schaibly, Sr. and Dorothy Strieter Schaibly, who raised him in the Missouri Synod Lutheran Church. During college years at Michigan State University, he discovered a more liberating tradition at Lansing’s UU church, and in his senior year answered Martin Luther King’s call to Selma. “It changed Bob’s life to see religious institutions witnessing for justice and changing lives,” recalls his husband, and that was perhaps an important early experience in his call to ministry.

After graduation with a B.A. in humanities in 1965, Bob moved to San Francisco, joined the UU congregation there, and soon took a position as the church’s administrator. Turned down by Starr King School for the Ministry but encouraged by his minister, Harry Scholefield, to apply to Harvard, Bob moved east and completed work for his M.Div. at Harvard Divinity School in 1971. 

Mr. Schaibly’s first parish call was to the Beverly Unitarian Church in Chicago IL, where he was ordained in 1971 and continued to serve until 1979. In those years he served at times on the Planning Council of the Lake Geneva Summer Assembly, and at a summer gathering there he met, and later married, Elinor Berke. Their marriage ended amicably some years later, while she went on to pursue her own career in UU ministry.

The Rev’d Mr. Schaibly moved on to a briefer pastorate (1979–82) at the UU Church of Concord NH and then accepted a call to the First Unitarian Church of Houston TX. There he served as senior minister for two decades (1982–2002), during which that church was the first in Texas to become a sanctuary congregation for Central American refugees and to start a support group for gay and lesbian teenagers. In his public ministry to the Houston area, Mr. Schaibly spoke at multiple rallies against the death penalty, for abortion rights, for the right to die, and for marriage equality. In 1985, when the first UU LGBT convocation was held in Houston, Bob met Steven Storla. In 1991, they made their life commitment to each other at that year’s convocation in San Francisco.

In 2002, with his preaching voice much weakened by throat cancer and radiation treatment, the Rev’d Mr. Schaibly took early retirement at age 60, and the Houston congregation named him Minister Emeritus. He and Steven relocated to Portland OR, where Bob came briefly out of parish retirement to serve an interim ministry (2005–06) at the UU Community Church of Washington County (Hillsboro OR). It was in 2015, on the 24th anniversary of their mutual commitment, that Bob and Steven were finally married in a ceremony conducted by the Rev’d Bill Sinkford.

In the wider UU movement, Mr. Schaibly served on the boards of the UUA’s Southwest District, the Houston Area UU Ministers, and the UU Service Committee, and on the Emerson Centennial Celebration Committee of the UU Historical Society. He was active with the UUA’s Office of Gay & Lesbian Concerns. He was a member of the UUA Affirmative Action Task Force, served as president the UUMA’s Southwest chapter, and was a founder and chair of the New England Students for the UU Ministry. He was the theme speaker at Star Island’s “Life on a Star Family Week” in 1983. The Rev’d Mr. Schaibly saw many of his sermons published in The UU World and the Church of the Larger Fellowship’s monthly newsletter, Quest.

During his three parish settlements and beyond, Mr. Schaibly was supportive of or active with the Child and Family Services of New Hampshire, a food pantry program, a day center for the homeless, Amnesty International, and People for the American Way. He was president of the New Hampshire chapter of the ACLU (1980–1982), a community representative for the University of Houston Animal Research Committee, a board member of the Houston ACLU and the AIDS Foundation of Houston, and a theme speaker for the American Cancer Society of Texas. He chaired a local mental health council and an ecumenical ministerial fellowship.

At his death, Bob Schaibly was survived by his husband, Steven R. Storla; a sister, Rebecca Davidson; two brothers, Ben and Bill; and many nieces and nephews. Donations in Bob’s memory are encouraged to the Endowment Funds of the First Unitarian Church of Portland (firstunitarianportland.org/foundation) or the First UU Church of Houston (firstuu.org/donate). Memorial services were held at both congregations

The Rev. Edward “Ed” Searl

The Rev. Edward “Ed” Searl died on July 28, 2019, at the age of 71.

Ed is survived by his wife of 51 years, Ellie Searl; his daughter Katie Bodnar; his brother Clint Searl; and his two grandchildren Brett and Bridget Bodnar. He was predeceased by his parents, Clinton and Mary Walter Searl.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Edward Searl Memorial Fund at the Unitarian Church of Hindsdale, 11 West Maple Avenue St., Hinsdale, IL 60521. UURMaPA will contribute $50 to the UUMA Endowment Fund in honor of our colleague’s ministry.

A memorial service will take place in September at the Unitarian Church of Hinsdale, 11 West Maple Avenue, Hinsdale, IL 60521 (date and time to be decided).

Notes of condolence may be sent to Ellie Searl at 7300 Johnson Farm Lane, Apt. 102, Chadds Ford, PA 19317.

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

The Rev. Dr. Alan Leslie Seaburg

Alan Seaburg
Alan Seaburg

The Reverend Dr. Alan Seaburg—sometime parish minister, poet, and historiographer, whose archival and bibliographic knowledge assisted hundreds of researchers at the Harvard Divinity Library over the years—died on  22 July 2018 at the age of 86.

Alan Leslie Seaburg was born on 28 February 1932 in Medford, MA to Nils Henry and Eva (Gerrard) Seaburg. From Tufts University (MA) he received a B.A. in 1954 and a B.D. in 1957. He was ordained on September 15 of that year by the First Universalist Church in Medford (MA), where he served an interim ministry (1958–59) while studying for an M.S. at Simmons College (MA, 1959).

The Rev’d Mr. Seaburg worked as a librarian at the Crane Theological School of Tufts University (1959–65) before returning to the parish in a shared ministry with Kenneth Patton at the Charles Street Meeting House in Boston (1965–68).

Then, after two years at the UUA (1968–70), he moved on to what would become his most significant vocation as Curator of Manuscripts at Harvard Divinity School’s Andover- Harvard Theological Library (1970–95). At retirement he was named Curator of Manuscripts, Emeritus, and in 1999 Meadville Lombard Theological School awarded him a D.D. honoris causa.

Alan was a prolific writer, with pieces appearing in The New York TimesAmherst ReviewHawaii Review, and Commonweal. He published five books of poetry and was for many years poetry editor of the nature journal Snowy Egret. He also authored or co-authored more than half a dozen small histories, mostly on New England subjects.

Alan is survived by daughters Carolyn Joy Bell and Ann Leslie Seaburg, two granddaughters, and two nephews. Memorial contributions are encouraged in honor of Alan’s brother, to the “Carl G. Seaburg Scholarship Fund” at Meadville Lombard Theological School, Development Office: 610 South Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60605.

The Rev. William Clinton Saunders

Will Saunders

Will Saunders

The Reverend Dr. Will Saunders, parish
minister and college instructor, died on 26 June 2018 at the age of 73 after living with cancer for several years. He is remembered for his sparkling wit and wide-ranging scholarship.

Will spent much of his retirement traveling the world, enjoying art, theater, music, hiking, canoeing, and bicycling. Not one to withdraw from living or ministry as his cancer became more serious, Will wrote a series of extraordinarily candid “health updates,” detailing the course of his disease and treatments as well as his and his spouse Julie’s playful efforts to “Keep Cancer Fun.”

William Clinton Saunders was born on 18 March 1945 in Morristown (NJ) to Byron Winthrop and Miriam (Wise) Saunders and grew up as a Unitarian in Ithaca, New York. He was graduated from Oberlin College (OH) in 1967 with an A.B. in religion and earned his B.D. from Union Theological Seminary (NY) in 1970. During graduate work, Will was a student minister at Manhattan’s Community Church (1968-71) and then a lecturer in religious studies at Hunter

College (1974-75). In 1978 he completed work for a Ph.D. in American religious thought at Columbia University (NY). Ordained in 1972 by his childhood church, the Rev’d Mr. Saunders served called ministries at UU churches in

Brunswick, Maine (1976-85) and in Urbana, Illinois (1985-95). After interim ministries in Harvard and Haverhill (MA), he was called as co-minister with then spouse Marta Flanagan to South Church, Portsmouth (NH) in 1997, and they were named emeritus/a on early retirement in 2005.

Will is survived by his second spouse, Julie Draper Saunders, sons Brynn and Peter, Julie’s sons Nicholas and Zachary Draper, sisters Martha Nabatian and Carolyn Munger, three grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews.

A memorial service was conducted by the Rev’d Dan Hotchkiss on 2 July 2018. Memorial gifts are encouraged to Planned Parenthood of Northern New England: www.ppnne.org/annualfund.

 

The Rev. Dr. Peter Lee Scott

Peter Lee Scott
Peter Lee Scott

The Reverend Dr. Peter Lee Scott—long-time parish minister, singer and musician, student of UU history, and charter member of the Charles Street Meeting House in Boston—died on 20 December 2017, at the age of 84.

Peter loved table tennis and model railroading, and was also a “very cautious” sailor, claiming that his sailboat, Chicken of the Sea, described him as a skipper. He maintained a near life-long relationship with the Ferry Beach Association and, following his Universalist minister father, regularly celebrated Groundhog Day with sermons, liturgies, and carols.

Peter Lee Scott was born on 6 November 1933 in Peoria, Illinois, to Mary Slaughter and the Rev’d Clinton Lee Scott. From St. Lawrence University (Canton, NY) he earned a B.D. in 1955 and an M.Div. in 1957. He would later earn an M.A. in religious education from Hartford (CT) Seminary (1962) and a D.Min. from Lexington (KY) Theological Seminary (1972).

Mr. Scott was ordained on 8 September 1957 at the First Universalist Society in New Haven, CT, where he served for five years. Parish settlements followed in Massachusetts, Kentucky, Wisconsin, and Virginia. He then took a call to the First Universalist Church of Southold, NY (1987–96), followed by a one-year interim ministry at the UU Congregation of York, PA.

Finally, the Rev’d Dr. Scott was called to St. Paul’s Universalist Church in Little Falls, NY, where his spouse Faith was ordained and served with him as co-minister. After retirement in 1999, he continued with supply preaching at St. Paul’s and at the First Universalist Society in Salisbury Center, NY. In 2013, he was elected Minister Emeritus by both congregations.

At the time of Peter’s death, survivors included his spouse and colleague, the Rev. Dr. Faith Grover Scott, children Michael, Rebecca, and Steven, stepchildren Robert, Elizabeth, and Margaret, and fourteen grandchildren, step-grandchildren, and great-grandchildren

The Rev. Dr. Charles Stedman Stephen, Jr.

Charles Stephen
Charles Stephen

The Reverend Dr. Charles Stephen—beloved parish minister, eloquent and literate preacher, omnivorous reader, and dedicated civil rights activist—died at home in hospice care on 29 May 2017, aged 85.

Mr. Stephen was a founder of local chapters of the American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood. He hosted the show All About Books for Nebraska public radio and reviewed books for the Lincoln Star Journal. On the afterlife, Charles liked to quote Jorge Luis Borges: “I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.” The local newspaper called him “a connoisseur of words and ideas.”

Charles Stedman Stephen, Jr., was born on 5 February 1932 in Melrose, MA, to Charles Stedman Stephen and Barbara Hill Stephen, and grew up in the Greenwood neighborhood of Wakefield, MA. He was graduated with a B.A. by Northeastern University (MA, 1955) and earned a B.D. from Crane Theological School (MA, 1958). Starr King School awarded him an S.T.D. honoris causa in 1982.

Mr. Stephen was ordained on 15 June 1958 by the Melrose Unitarian Church. After settlement at the First Parish Church of Billerica, MA (1958–61) he accepted a call to the Unitarian Church of Lincoln, Nebraska, where he served for 35 years and was named minister emeritus on retiring in 1996.

Charles Stephen
Charles Stephen

His daughter Susan described her father as a “man of letters, man of the Red Sox, hiker of mountains, canoe paddler of oceans, tickler of children, crossword puzzler, lover of opera.”

He is survived by his spouse of 63 years Patricia; children Debra, Susan, David, Karl, and Bruce, plus ten grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and brothers Sanders and Mark.

The Rev. Marcia Welsh Schekel

Marcia Schekel
Marcia Schekel

The Reverend Marcia Schekel—educator, compassionate chaplain, and lifelong religious seeker who moved from Catholic to Methodist and finally to UU affiliation—died on 18 May 2017, aged 70.

Marcia Welsh was born to Joe and Margaret Welsh on 4 June 1946 in Marion, Ohio, and grew up in nearby Dayton until age 13, when the family moved to Boulder, Colorado. She earned a B.A. in journalism at Colorado State University in 1968 and married fellow student Kurt Schekel the same year. Growing interest in feminist theology drew her from Roman Catholicism to the more liberal Methodist church, where she was active as a religious educator for 14 years.

After earning an M.A. in adult and continuing education at Washington State University (Pullman) in 1978, she stayed on to direct WSU’s women’s programs (1978-83) and then as manager of its continuing education program (1983-98). Meanwhile, work with Elderhostel (now Road Scholar) beginning in 1983 led Marcia to an interest in “models for aging” and in 1998 she moved to Portland (Oregon) to accept a job with Elderhostel.

Once again religiously restless, Marcia joined the First Unitarian Church of Portland. Volunteer work with hospice programs and bereavement groups encouraged her to further study at Marylhurst University (OR). She earned an M.A. in applied theology in 2004 and then became a hospice chaplain at Providence Home and Community Services. In recognition of her gifts for this work, Ms. Schekel was ordained by the First Unitarian Church of Portland on 15 April 2007 and served there as an affiliated minister until retirement in 2013.

Marcia is survived by spouse Kurt, son Zachary, brother Mike, and four grandchildren.

Paul Montgomery Smith-Valley

Paul Smith Valley

Paul Smith-Valley

Paul Montgomery Smith-Valley, 76 years, spouse of the Reverend Dr. Judith M. Smith-Valley, died peacefully on May 9, 2017 at his home in Kennebunk ME. Paul was born in Rochester NY, and graduated from the University of Rochester with a bachelor’s degree, after attending Annapolis for 2 years. He completed his service in the Marine Corps Reserves, New York State.

Paul became a consultant and fund-raiser for organizations such as the March of Dimes and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, joining the staff of the Unitarian Universalist Association for over 20 years and consulting in the UUA Building and Loan Program for another 10 years. He had a rare gift for guiding nervous congregations and dealing with cautious lending institutions.

After moving to ME and retiring, Paul Joined the U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary FLT 24. This brought him back to the sea, boating and a new vocation. He particularly enjoyed the training, search and rescue and teaching safe boating classes. He volunteered extensively, participating in leadership and reaching the rank of CMDO for Northern New England in 2010.

He enjoyed doing crossword puzzles and reading; he was an avid swimmer. He had a small business working with wood and wood-turning and was a member of the West Virginia Wood Turners Association. He adored his grandchildren and enjoyed spending time with his family.

He is survived by his wife; his sons, Dr. Richard Smith, MD and his wife Dr. Barbara Dill, MD of Norwood, NJ, Glenn Valley and his wife Heidi Hermon Valley of Wake Forest, NC; his daughters, Libby Valley Cirillo and her husband Dr. L. Anthony Cirillo, MD of North Kingstown, RI and Susan Woodilla and her husband LTC Tad Woodilla, USAF Ret., of Hermon, ME; his brother Tim Smith and wife Vicki Lee of Pittsford, NY; his sisters, Patricia Williams of Addison, TX and Marcia Joy and husband Ron of Churchville, NY; 13 grandchildren and 1 great-grandchild, and several nieces and nephews.