Category: Obituary: S

Deborah Lantz Steiner, 103, widow of the Rev. Dr. Richard M. Steiner, died October 27, 2011 in Claremont, CA. She was born into a Quaker family in Pendleton, IN, and attended the George School. When she met and married Dick Steiner he was a Congregationalist who planned to teach religion. His plans changed when the First Unitarian Church Portland (OR) called him in 1934, where he served until 1966. Deborah was the consummate minister’s wife in the “hat and gloves” era. She truly did labor in the vineyards of the church.Active in the Women’s Alliance, the Fortnightly Club and the Greenleaf Club, she also volunteered for many organizations and was a past president of the City Club in Claremont. She was an avid and skilled gardener. Her husband said he owed much of his success to her commitment to their church and his ministry. When he died in 1975 the couple had been married 48 years. She is survived by her sons, Henry-York Steiner, of Spokane, WA and David Elliot Steiner, of Allenspark, CO; their spouses, five grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

Marilyn Shirley Ireland Steeves, 90, widow of the Rev. Addison Eliot Steeves, died June 6, 2010. For 25 years she taught in public and private schools in ME, CA and MA. She wrote the hymn “Heirs of One Faith Are We” when the Unitarian and Universalist women’s organizations merged. She served on the Exterior Committee of the AUA and the General Alliance of Unitarians. She was active with other liberal Christian women leading training for the Sunday School Union of Greater Boston. She was president of the Family Service Association of Dedham, MA and served on the board of directors of the Family Services Association of Greater Boston. She was an accomplished pianist and alto soloist. She enjoyed Elderhostel, the Bowdoin June Seminar, and Bates noonday concerts. Marilyn was a prolific reader all her life and worked as a book reviewer. She loved to knit, to make bread and to collect pewter. She is survived by her three children: Sally, Ellen and Mark Steeves, a daughter-in-law and a son-in-law.

The Rev. Dr. Bob Stebbins, avid traveler, inspiring educator, dedicated family man, and lover of life, died at the Hospice Compassionate Care Center in Richmond, Kentucky, on 17 June 2014, aged 82.

Robert E. Stebbins was born in Lima, Ohio, on 28 July 1931 to Charles F. and Velma J. Stebbins. After graduation from Lima Central High School he earned a B.A. in history from Bowling Green State University (Ohio) in 1953. He received his M.Div. from Yale Divinity School, was forthwith ordained and accepted into the Methodist ministry on 3 June 1956, and continued academic work at the University of Minnesota, earning a Ph.D. in modern European history in 1960. During the first two years of this doctoral work (1956-58), he worked as program secretary and student minister at the University of Minnesota YMCA/YWCA and regularly supplied the pulpit at the Methodist Church in New Richmond, Wisconsin. In 1958-59 he moved on to serve as part-time interim assistant minister at the Mayflower Congregational Church in Minneapolis.

The Rev. Mr. Stebbins was going through much theological searching during these years, and 1959 he withdrew from the Methodist ministry, seeking and receiving Universalist ministerial fellowship the same year. While studying for his Ph.D., he served as the executive director for Tri-U, a Unitarian Universalist student group at the University of Minnesota from 1959 to 1961. Dr. Stebbins taught European history at Eastern Kentucky State College from 1963 until his retirement in 2000.

Bob Stebbins was one of the founders of the Madison County UU Fellowship in 1978, and remained an active member of the congregation for the rest of his life, most often drawing upon his ministerial background as program chair for the lay led congregation.

Robert enjoyed traveling, and explored all seven continents; he followed a ritual of climbing to the highest point of each destination. He was an avid tennis player, and played until the age of seventy-eight. Friends and colleagues recall his “rational perspective” and sense of humor.

Robert’s family members fondly remember his “general delight in living,” and the love he had for his wife and three daughters. His wife, Ann Stebbins, noted, “He encouraged me to reach a potential I did not know I had. He helped me lead a life I did not know I could.”

He is survived by his wife, K. Ann Stebbins; daughters, Susan Stebbins Collins, Beth Ann Stebbins, and Kara Lynn Stebbins; granddaughter Emily Stebbins; grandson Russell Brown; sister Ruth Raines; nephew Blake Raines (Rei-fung Raines) and grand-niece, Karlene Raines.

A Celebration of Life was held on June 21, 2014 at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Madison County, in Richmond, Kentucky.

Notes of condolence may be sent to Ann Stebbins at 208 College View Dr., Richmond, Kentucky 40475.

The Rev. Dr. Virginia Vaught Sparling died on February 23, 2012. She was 87 years old. Rev. Dr. Sparling was born in Caddo Gap, AR on Feb 3, 1925 to Grace (Davis) and Chester Allen Vaught. Education was very important to Rev. Sparling and she attained quite a few degrees throughout her life. In 1946, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Zoology from MacMurray College in 1946. She went on to attain a Master of Social Work and a Master of Education from the University of Washington in 1969 and 1979 respectively. MacMurray College gifted her with an Honorary Doctorate in 1981. And in 1991, she earned her final degree: a Master of Divinity from Northwest Theological Union.

The Rev. Sparling was ordained at East Shore Unitarian Church in Bellevue, WA in 1992. She was called to the Pacific Northwest District where she served from 1990-2000. She also served as a ministerial consultant at the Olympic UU Fellowship in Port Angeles, WA from 1993-1995; and the Skagit UU Fellowship in Mt. Vernon, WA from 1991-1999.

In 2004, the Rev. Sparling’s deteriorating health forced her to begin using a wheelchair. Despite, the disability, she helped found the Methow Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (currently non-UUA affiliated), and was its minister for several years following its inception.

The Rev. Sparling felt deeply passionate about education and community building through the arts. She was a vocal advocate of public education, and was elected to the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA), becoming its President in 1979. An enthusiast of opera, ballet, and theatre, she became involved in the Confluence Art Gallery in Twisp, WA. There, she served as Board President, organizing shows, and leading capital drives to buy an additional building and install a monument in a public park.

In a letter to family and friends, her husband, Gerald, noted, “Life had given her many adventures and challenges which she took on with verve and gusto. Although she is gone; she still lives on in our hearts and minds.”

The Rev. Sparling is survived by her husband of 61 years, Gerald Sparling, MD. She is also survived by son, Gerald Jr., and his wife, Andrea; son, Eugene, and his wife, Marta; and three grandchildren, Isaac, Nina, and Joslyn.

Two memorial services were held for the Rev. Dr. Sparling. The first was at the Eastshore Unitarian Church, 12700 SE 32nd St., Bellevue, WA 98005 on Sunday, June 17, 2012 at 2:00 p.m. The second took place at the Winthrop Barn, 51 N. Highway 20, Winthrop, WA 98862 on Saturday, June 23, 2012 at 2:00 p.m.

Notes of condolence may be sent to Dr. Gerald Sparling, P.O. Box 954, 865 Wolf Creek Road, Winthrop, WA 98862.

Ottie Hardenstein Sonen, 83, widow of the Rev. Robert W. Sonen, died Nov, 29, 2005. A a prominent psychotherapist, she maintained an active psychotherapy and counseling practice for over 40 years in Morristown/Oakridge, New Jersey, and later in Palm Beach, FL. She was a dance teacher, a movement therapist, and a founding member and president of the National Sacred Dance Guild. At 70, she won numerous ballroom dancing titles. She is survived by a sister; children Linda Mathers Barton, J. Marc Mathers, Barbara Sonen Bollinger, Beverly Sonen Anderson, and Ralph Sonen; five grandchildren; and a great-grandson. A service was held Dec. 3 at Unity Church in West Palm Beach.

Lorraine Stehman Snowden, 76, made her transition from earth life to spirit life on July 21, 2008 after a personal struggle with the challenges of cancer. She is survived by her husband, the Rev. Dr. Glen Wenger Snowden, to whom she was married for 55 years. Before living in Northborough, MA, they lived in Newton for many years. She is also survived by Julie Marie Martin, her daughter, and two grandchildren and three sisters. She enjoyed a lifelong career as a church musician. A graduate of Elizabethtown College, the Yale School of Music, and the New England Conservatory of Music, she was a longtime member of the American Guild of Organists. She was also a piano teacher. Lorraine was highly dedicated to spiritual practices and the study of religious philosophy.

The Rev. Thomas Leroy Smith, 87, died August 15, 2005, following a stroke. Prior to receiving preliminary fellowship with the AUA in 1957, he was ordained a Methodist minister and also served as a Presbyterian minister. He served congregations in Duluth, MN and Lansing, MI. He was a teacher who went on to do graduate work in counseling. He is survived by two children, Pamela Smith Marsh of Denver and Thomas Dan Smith of the United Arab Emirates. A memorial service was held Oct. 7 at UU Church of Greater Lansing, followed by a memorial dance at Fraternal Order of Eagles the same evening.

The Rev. Dr. Roger H. Smith, 75, died August 10, 2011. He earned a BA at Washington State University, an MS and a Ph.D. from North Carolina State University and an M.Div. from Starr King. He served congregations in Wayzata, MN; Pasco and Kirkland, WA. During his time in Minnesota he enjoyed canoeing. Prior to joining the ministry, he worked for NASA in Oak Ridge, TN, as a research biologist. He also worked for the International Atomic Energy Association at a laboratory in Greece and later worked for the Environmental Protection Agency in Olympia, WA. He and his wife, Jane, traveled and worked in California, New Jersey and Japan. In recent years they ran a home-based business germinating orchid seeds for hobbyists.

The Rev. Philip A. Smith, parish minister, psychotherapist, and dedicated activist for social justice and civil rights, died on March 3, 2015, at the age of 84.

As a long-term active member of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), Mr. Smith was a leader in many desegregation marches in the 1960s. Following the murder of James Reeb in 1965, he traveled from California to participate in the Selma-Montgomery march.

Philip Ashley Smith was born in Bangor (Maine) on September 15, 1930, to Philip and Blanche Smith. He earned a B.A. from Tufts College (now Tufts University) in 1954 and an M.Div. from Crane Theological School in 1957. Mr. Smith was ordained by the Second Parish (Unitarian) of Marlboro (Mass.) in 1957 and continued his pastorate there until 1960, while serving also from 1958 to 1960 as associate chaplain to a prison in nearby Norfolk. He then moved on to parish ministries at the First Unitarian Church in Louisville, Kentucky (1960-63) and the Universalist Unitarian Church of Riverside, California (1963-80).

During these ministries, the Rev. Mr. Smith took on active roles in a variety of local social justice organizations. He served as an adult adviser to CORE in Louisville, was a member of the Louisville Executive Board of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), a member of the Board of Directors of the Kentucky Civil Liberties Union, and a co-founder and co-chairman of the Kentucky Committee to Abolish Capital Punishment.

While serving the Riverside Church, Mr. Smith undertook training as a psychotherapist, receiving a California license in Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling in 1970. For the next ten years he practiced psychotherapy alongside his ministry to the Riverside Congregation, and then took early retirement from parish ministry in 1980 to practice psychotherapy full time.

Phil is recalled as a maverick and one who valued individual creativity. He encouraged others to hold on to their uniqueness, and enrich the world with it. He gave voice and support to those who suffered injustice and mistreatment. He is remembered by family and friends for his love of laughter and his appreciation of life; his final words were “thank you.”

Philip Smith is survived by his wife Sharon Rose (McMaken) Smith; a son, Gabe, and a daughter, Bryony; grandchildren, Ryan, Andy and Ashle; two great-grandchildren; and brothers, Jim, Tom, and Paul.

Memorial donations are encouraged to the American Civil Liberties Union.

The Rev. Kenneth Jackson Smith, 90, died March 21, 2007 in Penney Farms, FL. He was ordained in 1951 by the First Universalist Church of Duluth, MN and served in Duluth; Garden City, NY; Vineyard Haven, MA, and Corpus Christi, TX. The UU Church of Martha’s Vineyard named him Minister Emeritus in 1987. Smith was active in community and denominational affairs. His lifelong interest in promoting peace and equality led him to chair committees to further the efforts for racial equality in the 1960s while living in Philadelphia where he ministered to the Ethical Culture Society. His niece, Susan DePass in California, survives him. In 1984 he married Ruth Luening, who predeceased him. At his request there were no services.