The Rev. Christopher “Chris” G. Raible died on February 10, 2026, at the age of 92 (1933−2026).
Chris is survived by his wife of 71 years, Patricia Woolven Raible, his three children, John Raible, David Raible, and Anne Raible Beasley, six grandchildren and a growing number of great-grandchildren.
A celebration of life will be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may go to Planned Parenthood and/or the American Civil Liberties Union. UURMaPA will contribute 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. It will be published in an upcoming issue of Elderberries and posted on the UURMaPA website.If any readers would wish to contribute information or reminiscences, we would welcome them. Please send them to UURMaPA’s clergy obituary editor, Rev. Jay Atkinson – jayatk40@gmail.com.
The Rev. Robert Harold Flanders died on February 8, 2026, at the age of 81 (1944−2026).
Robert is survived by his daughter Alexa, his son Gabriel, his ex-wife and dear friend Rice, his grandchildren, Luke, Eva, Malcolm, and Margot, and many cousins.
A private memorial service will be held.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute, PO Box 905, Fort Davis TX 79734. UURMaPA will contribute to the UUMA Endowment Fund in honor of our colleague’s ministry.
Notes of condolence may be sent to Gabriel Flanders, 48 Maine Street, Warren ME 04864.
A more complete obituary will be forthcoming after biographical research has been completed. It will be published in an upcoming issue of Elderberries and posted on the UURMaPA website.If any readers would wish to contribute information or reminiscences, we would welcome them. Please send them to UURMaPA’s clergy obituary editor, Rev. Kathleen Fowler at kathleenclarkfowler@gmail.com
As you may know, the UUA has published a new hymnal, Sing Out Love, in an online format. (More info about this hymnal HERE) Subscription access to this hymnal is available only to institutions. Individuals can browse, but if you want to download, say, lyrics to a hymn, chords, a piano part, or if you want to have your copy transposed into a key you can sing, you have to sign up through an institution, usually, a church.
Your UURMaPA leadership has negotiated (and paid for!) access for retired UU ministers. We can have up to 999 people with log-in credentials, so…really, even if you just want to peak, you can get access.
The Rev. Margaret “Meg” A. Barnhouse died on January 13, 2026, at the age of 70 (1955−2026).
Meg is survived by her wife, the Rev. Kiya Heartwood, their two sons, Sam Barnhouse Durrett and Ned Durrett, and five grandchildren. She is also survived by her stepmother, Bethie Barnhouse, her sisters, Ruth Story and Lucy and Joana Barnhouse, her stepsister, Mindy Cardenas, her stepbrother, Miguel Cardenas, and her nephew, Aidan, and niece, Lillia.
Two memorial services are planned. One will be held at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, February 27, 2026, at the UUChurch of Brazos Valley, 1719 E 29th Street, Bryan TX 77802. A second service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, February 28, 2026, at the First UU Church of Austin TX, 4700 Grover Ave, Austin TX 78756.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Brazos Valley. UURMaPA will contribute 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. It will be published in an upcoming issue of Elderberries and posted on the UURMaPA website.If any readers would wish to contribute information or reminiscences, we would welcome them. Please send them to UURMaPA’s clergy obituary editor, Rev. Jay Atkinson – jayatk40@gmail.com.
The Rev. Patricia “Pat” Trudeau died on December 27, 2025, at the age of 73 (1952−2025).
Pat is survived by her husband, Wilburn, and her son, Donovan. Memorial service information will be shared at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Canadian Unitarian Council or to a charity of one’s own choosing. UURMaPA will contribute to the UUMA Endowment Fund in honor of our colleague’s ministry.
Notes of condolence may be mailed to the Canadian Unitarian Council, and they will forward them to the family, c/o Canadian Unitarian Council, Center for Social Innovation #302-192 Spadina Avenue, Toronto, ON M5T 2C2.
A more complete obituary will be forthcoming after biographical research has been completed. It will be published in an upcoming issue of Elderberries and posted on the UURMaPA website.If any readers would wish to contribute information or reminiscences, we would welcome them. Please send them to UURMaPA’s clergy obituary editor, Rev. Jay Atkinson – jayatk40@gmail.com.
The Rev. Harry C. Green died on December 27, 2025, at the age of 82 (1943−2025).
Harry is survived by his partner, the Rev. Linda Hart Green; his children, Christine Green LeLait (Alain) and Harry C. Green IV; and his grandson, Samuel Pitts (Abby). He is also survived by his sister, Penny Green Reid, and by his nieces, Kate Weidenbenner (Barry), Megan Nelson, and Emily Routt. He was preceded in death by his younger brother, James Bradshaw Green.
A memorial service will be held at 3:00 p.m. on Friday, February 27, 2026, at Story and Song Bookstore Bistro / Center for Arts and Culture, 1430 Park Ave., Fernandina Beach FL 32024.
A more complete obituary will be forthcoming after biographical research has been completed. It will be published in an upcoming issue of Elderberries and posted on the UURMaPA website.If any readers would wish to contribute information or reminiscences, we would welcome them. Please send them to UURMaPA’s clergy obituary editor, Rev. Jay Atkinson – jayatk40@gmail.com.
The Rev. Robert “Bob” A. MacDicken died on December 27, 2025, at the age of 85 (1940−2025).
Bob is survived by his wife Eileen Ross; his children from his first spouse Carolyn MacDicken (born Johnson), Mark, Nathan, Eric, and Tabbitha; his stepchildren Rachel and Joshua (Samantha); his grandchildren Ripley, Tulia, Wyatt, Gemma, Jonathan, and Galen; and his brother James.
A celebration of life is being planned for spring 2026.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Kiwanis Club of Black Mountain, 503 W. State Street, Black Mountain NC 28711. UURMaPA will contribute 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. It will be published in an upcoming issue of Elderberries and posted on the UURMaPA website.If any readers would wish to contribute information or reminiscences, we would welcome them. Please send them to UURMaPA’s clergy obituary editor, Rev. Kathleen Fowler at kathleenclarkfowler@gmail.com.
The Rev. Dr. Walter “Walt” F. Wieder died on December 22, 2025, at the age of 81 (1944−2025).
Walt is survived by his wife of 38 years, Janet Wieder; his daughter, Gina Gerger; and his siblings, Joan Wieder, Theresa Wieder, and Mark Wieder.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Phoenix, 4027 E Lincoln Dr, Paradise Valley AZ 85253, or the Desert Botanical Garden, 1201 N Galvin Pkwy, Phoenix AZ 85008. UURMaPA will contribute 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. It will be published in an upcoming issue of Elderberries and posted on the UURMaPA website.If any readers would wish to contribute information or reminiscences, we would welcome them. Please send them to UURMaPA’s clergy obituary editor, Rev. Jay Atkinson – jayatk40@gmail.com
Thanksgiving approaches as I write this column, so I want to offer some thanks for those who keep our organization strong. Let me start with thanks to the Fall 2025 Conference Planning Team and Worship Team: Barbro Hansson, Sonya Sukalski, Jeff Briere, Jef Gamblee, Terry Ellen, Wayne Walder, Anita Farber-Robertson, Joan VanBecelaere, Linda Wright, Sylvia Howe. The conference had the largest attendance ever, with almost 200 people participating. The programming was stimulating and the stories and odysseys were very moving. We have improved over the years in meeting the moment with themes that are attracting ever more registrants.
Our long time Conference Zoom Master, Jon Claney, resigned in the summer to take a full-time position with First Unitarian Church, Wilmington, Delaware. He did great work for us over several years. Replacing him is Cynthia Becker, a lifelong Unitarian Universalist who has a background in video conferences. She was behind the scenes at our recent conference. She lives in Vancouver, Canada.
I also wish to thank Ann Marie Alderman for her years of service as our Membership Coordinator. She helped us transition from the old way of keeping up—with three separate spreadsheets—to our Church Center system, where we enter the data once and it sorts automatically into areas. We are still getting used to how the system works. Ann Marie had to step down due to personal concerns. We seek a new Membership Coordinator. If you might be interested, contact me, president@uurmapa.org.
I am saddened to announce that our Treasurer, Paul Johnson, has had to resign due to health issues. Paul hoped to complete his term as treasurer, but circumstances prevented it. We are grateful for the work that Paul was able to do, and we hope he can find some well-deserved rest. The board will be appointing a temporary treasurer to complete Paul’s term. The Nominating Committee has proposed a person for the position. The board will discuss it soon.
The board is also working on goals for this year. We laid out broad areas for our work and are now putting substantive plans into place to guide us and allow us to see markers for completing those goals. We are working on strengthening connections (among ourselves, primarily), improving fundraising for the organization, and increasing diversity and inclusion in our membership. Stay tuned for how you can help us fulfill these goals.
The last item I wish to discuss is our annual fund-raising appeal. You will be receiving (or have already received) a letter from me, asking you to financially support our organization. We do not ask for dues to be a member but rely upon each of you contributing what you can to strengthen UURMaPA and our programs. Please give generously when the letter comes.
I close with words from our hymnal, #355 We Lift Our Hearts in Thanks: We lift our hearts in thanks today for all the gifts of life, And most, the gifts of hope and love, of wisdom, truth and right.
Yours in the Faith, Richard Speck, UURMaPA President
UURMaPA offers “The Unsung Hero Award” and “The Creative Sageing Award.” All UURMaPA members are eligible!
We postponed the presentation of our 2 UURMaPA awards, this year until our SPRING 2026 Conference. Surprisingly, we didn’t get any nominations. I know UURMaPAns are often shy but I also know there are any number of our UURMaPA members who have been doing great things and are potential recipients of either our Unsung Hero or our Creative Sageing Award.
We encourage you to nominate another UURMaPAn for this award or possibly yourself. Don’t be shy, simply identify the person and submit a brief description of their achievement(s), by March 1, 2026 to me, Charles Stephens, your UURMaPA Vice President, (vice-president@uurmapa.org).
The Unsung Hero award is given to a UURMAPA member who has not been recognized for his or her vital contributions to our UU retired movement or for generous service to others. The award will honor a volunteer who has made an extraordinary contribution to our association, working behind the scenes during their retirement. The successful nominee will not have been recognized elsewhere.
The Unsung UURMaPAn will be announced at our Conf and in Elderberries, and will receive a $500 honorarium.
The Creative Sageing award is given ward is given to a UURMAPA member for his or her outstanding service and creativity in pursuing new ventures after retirement and building on one’s experience in creative ways. This might involve, for example, mentoring, public service, fostering spiritual growth, writing/publishing, creating/participating in community and denominational service projects and organizations. The Creative Sage will be recognized at our Spring Conf and in Elderberries, and will receive a $500 honorarium
