Category: Obituary: S

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.

Ann Carol Shelley, the widow of the Reverend Harold K. Shelley, died peacefully Nov. 8, 2015. She was 84.

She was born in Teaneck, N.J., Dec. 11, 1930. She was a leader in Girl Scouts, an officer in the PTA, a teacher in Sunday school and a full-time housewife in New Jersey.

After her first husband, Stanley U. Britten died. She moved to Haverhill Corner NH in 1967. In 1968, she married Rev. Harold K. Shelley, who was minister of the Keene Unitarian-Universalist Church.

Carol attended Keene State College, graduating in 1973 with a bachelor’s degree in science and in 1983, a master’s degree in education. She was the first in her family to graduate college.

Carol was a special education teacher for 13 years at the Marlborough School, and then went on to be the special education coordinator for the Monadnock Regional School District.

She was active in the Keene Unitarian-Universalist Church, the Keene Senior Center, Friends of the Thorne Art Gallery, American Association of University Women, Cheshire Retired Teachers Association, N.H. Retired Educators Association and a member of NOW.

When Harold left Keene and began serving interim ministries in Florida, she was still employed and remained in Marlborough where she became a member of the Friends of the Frost Free Library, voter checklist supervisor and voter registrar.

Survivors include her daughter, Denise P. Hood and her husband, Steven; a son, John S. Shelley and his wife, Linda; a sister, Ellen Knatz; a stepson, Greg Shelley and his wife, Cathy; seven grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.

For those who wish, the family requests that donations be made in Mrs. Shelley’s memory to Patient Care Needs of Hospice, in care of Home Healthcare Hospice and Community Services, P.O. Box 564, Keene 03431-0564.

Robin Holzbach Slater, wife of Reverend Robert S. Slater, died peacefully at home on August 21, 2015. She was born October 7, 1925 in Newport News Virginia into a family long associated with the Newport News Shipping and Drydock Company.

After graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Syracuse University and taking graduate courses at William and Mary, Robin taught both public and private elementary and middle schools. She was also an instructor at the Arthur Murray Dance Studio in Baltimore, where Bob Slater was another teacher. They discovered that they shared common interests not only in music and dancing but also in parapsychology, including telepathy and reincarnation. They were married on November 2, 1950.

After Bob became a UU minister, Robin became and remained an active partner in that ministry — teaching Sunday school, working at church fairs, and even preaching a sermon on one occasion.

Robin greatly loved her family, fellow church members, and her students; and was a wonderful friend — both to people and animals. She especially sought to reach out to others who, like her, had suffered from mental illness. She worked to make her family’s home a place that was beautiful, artistic and filled with love, and they attest to her success. With Bob to help her, she courageously endured over 20 years of Alzheimer’s disease and continued to be a part of her community and to be the light of her family’s life.

Notes of condolence can be sent to Tracy Slater at 151 Tremont St 25G, Boston, MA 02111. The family suggests that memorial gifts could be directed to any local humane society, or group that works to reduce animal suffering.

Terence Sheridan, 78, widower of Reverend Laurel Sheridan, passed away September 6, 2014 in Tucson AZ.

As a young man Terry was inspired by an uncle. He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, rising to receive top secret clearance, and becoming a courier between Quantico and DC. He later joined the Coast Guard and served until being honorably discharged with 22 years of service. He was a long time member of the American Legion.

He was educated at Roger Williams University and University of Rhode Island, and spent many years teaching English Literature and Grammar at State Colleges, Jr. Colleges, and other schools. He was a student of Shakespeare, whom he frequently quoted, and a published poet. He was also noted as a water color artist, and was a devoted bridge and cribbage player.

Terry was married several times, but his last and longest marriage was to Laurel, whom he met when they both attended a group therapy session in Providence RI. She was an RN who had felt a call to ministry. Terry supported her through her theological education and accompanied her as she served congregations in Vermont, Maine, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts. He continued to teach when he could find a position, and participated in congregational life as well — singing in the choirs and helping with property maintenance. Laurel retired after suffering a stroke in 1998, and they moved to Tucson. She passed away on May 15, 2008.

Terry is survived by his son, Kevin J. Sheridan and wife Joanne of Smithfield RI; his step children, Julie Romero and husband Bob of Kingston RI, Alison Sakariason of Tucson AZ, and Holly Sakariason and wife Bethie Stoller of Yuma AZ; his sister, Katherine Sheridan and brother, William Sheridan and wife Mary, all of North Providence RI.