The Rev. Joel D. Baehr

The Rev. Joel D. Baehr died on September 22, 2023, at the age of 82 (1941-2023).

Joel is survived by daughters: Becky Baehr and Amy Baehr; sister Beth Baehr Bullard and brother-in-law Truman Bullard; grandchildren: Sarah Baehr Schrading, Lilah Baehr Schrading, Karl Basile-Baehr, and Vera Basile-Baehr; and sons-in-law Roger Schrading and Joe Basile.

A celebration of Joel’s life will be held on Saturday, February 17, 2024 (2:00-5:00pm) at the First Parish of Arlington, 630 Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington, MA.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Doctors without Borders. Notes of condolences may be written here.

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, Jay Atkinson – jayatk40@gmail.com.

The Rev. Lewis H. Dunlap

The Rev. Lewis “Lew” H. Dunlap died on September 7, 2023, at the age of 97 (1926-2023).

Lew was born on April 19, 1926, in Warrensburg MO to William Preston Dunlap and Edith Grace Boyd Dunlap. He was the youngest of three children. In 1936, his family moved to Rolla MO where he graduated high school (1943). Lew was called into active duty in the US Army Air Corps in 1944 and was discharged in 1946. After being discharged, he enrolled at Missouri Valley College and received his Bachelor of Arts (1951) following which he went to McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago graduating with his Master of Divinity (1954). Lew then served as a United Presbyterian minister until he was assigned to the Air Force as a Presbyterian chaplain in 1960. He retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1977.

In 1968, Lew began a radical change in his theology. He began to consider humanism and discovered the First Universalist Church in Denver CO. There he felt at home philosophically. He became active in both the First Universalist Church and the American Humanist Association. At the First Universalist Church, he served as hymn leader at Sunday morning services, sat on the board, and was active on the Lay Ministry Committee.

He represented the congregation on the Colorado Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice Board. Thereafter, Lew wanted to extend his ministry to the congregation and to the greater community. He sought to stimulate, encourage, and provide avenues for the development of love, kindness, compassion, and justice through becoming a UU minister.

Rev. Dunlap was ordained by the First Universalist Church, Denver CO, on May 23, 1999. Following ordination, he served the Borderlands UU, Amado AZ (2000–2001) and the UU Congregation of Green Valley AZ (2000–2001). At Green Valley, he actively supported the Canvass Committee and successfully stimulated interest in developing an endowment fund within the congregation. From 2001 to 2002, he served the UU Fellowship at Burlington IA as their interim minister. In 2002, he accepted a call from the UU Church of Greeley CO where he would minister until 2003. Rev. Dunlap exemplified the kind of enthusiasm and commitment that made church life compelling. He ministered with dedication and commitment.

Rev. Dunlap was one of the organizers of a new UU congregation, Prairie UU Church, in the Parker CO area. He cared enough to start a new congregation to spread the news of UUlism to the southeastern suburbs. He also served as a regional Coordinator of the UU Service Committee (2005).

In the larger community, he provided his services as a board member of the Colorado Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, as a founder and coordinator of the Rational Recovery Systems of Colorado, and as a founding and board member of the Colorado Council of Mediators and Mediation Organizations. Likewise, he served as a founder/leader of the Denver Chapter American Humanist Association.

Throughout his life, Lew loved travel, music, bridge, and community theater. He played the piano, guitar, and trumpet, and sang tenor in various local choirs. He also loved baseball and once again proved he had no intention of slowing down, attending the Colorado Rockies Fantasy camp for four years between the ages of 88 and 91! He used his age as his player number.

His son Paul shared: Lew’s “radical shift” in theology initially bordered on atheism fueled by the more anti-religionist elements in the AHA. However, he later repeatedly described the UUA as not anti-god or anti-religion, but open to all beliefs. And over the last few years of his life, his favorite TV viewing has been “The Chosen” a very Biblical and realistic multi-season series about Jesus and his disciples.

Lew is survived by his first wife, Katherine Dunlap; his children: Ruth Anne Hitchcock (Darrell), Paul Dunlap (Karen), and David Dunlap (Tracey); as well as his twelve grandchildren and nineteen great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his second wife, Phyllis Dolan, and is also survived by her four children: Kathryn Dolan, Connie Seguin, Albert Dolan, and Michael Dolan; and one grandson.

A memorial open house was held on Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023, at St. Andrews Village, 13801 E. Yale Ave, Aurora CO 80014.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Prairie UU Church <https://prairieuu.org/give>. Notes of condolence can be written here

<https://www.sbmortuary.com/obituary/Lewis-Dunlap#tributewall> or sent to Paul at pndunlap@comcast.net.

The Rev. Betty L. Pingel

The Rev. Betty L. Pingel died on September 6, 2023, at the age of 97 (1925-2023).

Betty was born on September 26, 1925, in Denver CO to Mitchell Leavitt and Marjorie O’Neill Leavitt. She was raised mostly in Denver by her mother and attended East Denver High School ,graduating in 1943. Ever since high school, she worked in the church, as a volunteer, in the choir, on committees, and in the church school. In 1948, she received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Colorado.

Betty began her career as a professional Religious Education Director at the First Universalist Church of Denver (1963-1975). During her 13 years there, she was meaningfully involved with adolescents and was remarkably appreciated for her counseling to young people in troubled family situations. She also built a strong community amongst the youth. From 1976 to 1977, she was employed as a consultant in religious education at the UU Church of Boulder CO where she facilitated RE teachers as they worked toward the expression of values and goals.

Betty’s long work in religious education in the church with children, young people, and their parents, served to intensify a natural concern for meaning in the most direct and personal ways. She realized a need for her career to focus on assisting people to grow and change. As a birthright Unitarian, Betty knew the importance of UUism in her own life but now she wished to become a UU minister and work professionally with a church as a facilitator, theologian/preacher, counselor, and educator. In 1977, she earned her Master of Divinity from the Iliff School of Theology in Denver.

Rev. Pingel was ordained by the First Unitarian Church of Denver on May 29, 1977. Following ordination, she served the Second Unitarian Church of Omaha NE as their first full-time settled minister (1977–1981), helping the church double its membership and budget. In 1981, she accepted a call from the UU Church of Fresno CA, where she would serve until 1992. At the Fresno church, she worked to strengthen music, invited children to be a part of the church community, and accommodated RE programs for them. The church was also very proud of her visibility in the wider community. In 1992, the UU Church of Fresno honored her as their minister emerita.

Subsequently, her work turned toward interim ministry at the Gathering at Northern Hills, Cincinnati OH (1992–1993). She helped the Board review their strengths and weaknesses and offered new practical ideas. In addition, she raised the visibility of the RE program, integrated children into the service, and actively worked with consultants and canvass committees in fundraising. Rev. Pingel served as a leader helping to resolve conflicts and heal wounds. From 1993 to 1994, she served her interim ministry at the UU Church of Akron, in Fairlawn OH, moving the church toward health enough to call their next minister.

Thereafter she served the Rogue Valley UU Fellowship, Ashland OR (1994-1995), and The UU Church in Eugene OR (1995–1997). At Eugene, she helped rewrite bylaws and created a policy manual and a vision statement. Following her retirement in 1997, Rev. Pingel provided her services to the UU Congregation of the Grand Valley, Grand Junction CO (1998-1999), as a consulting minister. She gave each of her interim congregations just the strokes, encouragement, and gentle spurring they needed.

In addition to her parish and interim ministries, Rev. Pingel served on the board of the Pacific Central District, and the UU Women’s Federation. She was a member of the UUMA, LREDA, and MSUU. While she was a religious educator, the UUA’s Department of Education published her articles, including:

“Curriculum in Action #10, Understanding Our Church”
“The Conscientious Objector and Our Church School,” and
“Curriculum for Now, #6, Unitarian Universalism as a Valuing Religion.”

In the wider community, Betty served as a member of various groups, such as the Fresno Women’s Network, the League of Women Voters, and The Forum (a professional women’s discussion group). She sat on the boards of the Planned Parenthood of Omaha and of Fresno. For 70 years, she spoke and worked for justice, from civil rights, peace, and nuclear disarmament to Black Lives Matter and global income inequality. She was always hopeful and optimistic, willing to laugh, to learn, to change. She fulfilled the highest criteria of integrity, religious concern, morality, sheer hard work, and warm regard for other human beings. Her sensitivity and wholesomeness permitted others to identify with the human qualities of different cultures and lifestyles.

In her leisure time, Betty loved to listen to traditional jazz and continued her search for knowledge through news, books, and magazines. She traveled extensively with Elderhostel and to visit her children and grandchildren across the U.S. She looked forward to family visits to Denver.

Betty is survived by her son, Mitchell (Peggy); daughters, Barbara Ortega, Gale Loveitt (Thomas Walker), and Shirley Karuzas (Michael ‘Crash’); seven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Walter, and son-in-law, Albert Ortega.

A celebration of life was held on Saturday, September 30, 2023, at the First Unitarian Society of Denver.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Indian College Fund <https://collegefund.org/>, 8333 Greenwood Blvd, Denver CO 80221; or the First Unitarian Society of Denver <https://fusden.org/>, 1400 Lafayette St, Denver CO 80218. Notes of condolence can be written here:
<https://www.abplace-funeral-cremation.com/obituaries/Betty-Pingel/#!/TributeWall>.

Joseph Wesley

Joe Wesley died on August 29. Joe was the Rev. Alice Blair Wesley’s husband, the father of Becky Bell-Wesley and Hope Wesley Harrison, and the grandfather of their four sons. Joe was an able and conscientious engineer, engineering manager, and environmentalist for the DuPont Company. He subsidized his wife’s ministry in the Unitarian Universalist Association for twenty years, plus another ten years of her writing and lectures.

Joe had a beautiful baritone voice. He sang in choirs and played guitar in many a church service. He repaired church buildings and built church furniture. He was much beloved in his and Alice’s Seattle retirement community for his ready smile, his sense of humor, the stories of his Kentucky upbringing, and the countless repairs he made in the woodshop for other residents. He was a prince.

A more complete obituary will be forthcoming after biographical research has been completed. If any readers wish to contribute information or reminiscences, we would welcome them. Please send them to (include only relevant person) UURMaPA’s partner obituary editor, Eleanor Richardson, grandmoot@aol.com.

Karen S. Muir

Karen Kristine Sandstrom Muir died August 17, 2023, at the age of 74 (1949-2023), in Ludington MI on a visit to family in Ludington MI with her husband, the Rev. Frederick Muir, minister emeritus of the UU Church of Annapolis.

She was born Jan. 31, 1949, the daughter of Maj. Donald Gustave Sandstrom, a career Army officer, and Kaethe Bonnekamp Sandstrom, in Staten Island NY. She lived in Germany for a brief period, then moved to Indianapolis where her father taught at Fort Benjamin Harrison. “When she entered kindergarten, she only spoke German,” the Rev. Muir said.

After graduating from high school, she attended Butler University, both in Indianapolis IN, on a debate scholarship, where in 1970 she earned her B.A. in history and social studies, then obtained an M.A. there.

She taught Social Studies for 40 years, in New York City, Sanford ME, then in Odenton MD, when she and Fred moved to Annapolis. He served as minister there for 34 years. She was active in Maryland Democratic politics. She was a fierce advocate of public education, world traveler, avid reader, movie lover, devoted Orioles baseball fan, and dessert enthusiast (most notably cookie dough).

“It was very important to her to have a safe teaching environment. She was very good working with middle school students. She looked at them as people and not as pains,” said colleague and friend Meg Kauder. To bring the outside world into her classroom, Ms. Muir embraced the World Wise Schools program, where students and teachers corresponded with Peace Corps volunteers in the Central African Republic.

Surviving are her husband Fred, a son Andrew Sandstorm Muir, daughter Kristina Muir, two sisters, Kathe Donna Sandstorm and Karalyn Sandstrom Young. A memorial service was held September 24, 2023, at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis.

Martha Pohl

Martha Louise (Warren) Pohl, 90, died Aug. 14, 2023, at her 1889 homestead surrounded by her loving family. She was the beloved wife of Rev. Dr. David C. Pohl, with whom she shared nearly 68 years of marriage.

Martha was born Nov. 10, 1932, the daughter of Edwin H. and Helen M. (Pearson) Warren. Martha grew up on the Family Farm, valedictorian of her class at Chelmsford High School. She studied at Lowell General Hospital, graduating in 1953 as a Certified Registered Nurse, and served four years at Mass. General Hospital in Boston.

On Oct. 26, 1954, she met her future husband David at his ordination at the First Parish in Bedford MA. They were married in 1955. In 1957, she gave birth to their first child Elizabeth Louise and in 1962, Eric was born. They moved to the First UU Church of Cleveland OH, in 1957 and four years later to the First UU Congregation of Ottawa ONT. A decade later, they moved to Boston, where David joined the Department of Ministry at the UUA, where he served until retirement in 1993.

Martha resumed her nursing career at MA nursing homes in North Reading, Stoneham, Lexington, and later in Acton. In 1985, she joined David in a four-and-a-half month sabbatical in Australia, where he served the Unitarian church in Adelaide. In the closing days of their time there, an invitation came to attend a reception for a visiting Queen Elizabeth, as she unveiled a statue honoring Catherine Helen Spence, a Unitarian suffragist.

When Martha’s father died in 1986 he left Martha his Chelmsford home and shared ownership of the farmland with her brother Franklin. Franklin farmed the land, but died in 2015. Five years later, the Pohl and Warren families sold the 54 acres to the Town of Chelmsford, creating The Warren-Pohl Conservation Reservation.

In retirement, Martha and David enjoyed gardening, their 1967 Vermont cottage, and travel. Her life was abruptly interrupted in mid-April this year with a major stroke. She was initially recovering, but then suffered several setbacks that led to a private, poignant conversation with David in which she sought his agreement that she begin home hospice care. It was a profoundly sad promise grounded in their deep and abiding love.

In addition to her husband, Martha is survived by her daughter Elizabeth Louise (Dean Corner) of Augusta ME, and granddaughters Miriam Elizabeth of Lowell MA, and the Reverend Erica Rose Long of Cambridge; her son, Eric Warren (Mary Patricia Anderson) of Chelmsford, and grandchildren Ethan Warren of Kingston ONT; Elena Ruth of Sherbrooke QUE.; Laura Elizabeth of Westmore VT; Andre Anderson of Chelmsford, and numerous nieces and nephews.

The public is invited to a Memorial Service Sunday, Oct. 8, at 2 p.m. at the First Parish in Concord, 20 Lexington Road, Concord MA. A reception will follow. Memorial donations may be made to the Town of Chelmsford/Warren-Pohl Reservation, 50 Billerica Road, Chelmsford MA 01824.

The Rev. John H. Weston

The Rev. Dr. John H. Weston died on August 9, 2023, at the age of 77 (1945–2023). He was a provocative teacher, a dedicated institutional builder, and an effective mentor and pastoral counselor.

John was born on October 20, 1945, in New York to Norman B. Weston and Anne C. Weston. He was raised in the Birmingham (MI) Unitarian Church, the fellowship that his parents helped establish, which later grew into a thriving society. John attended grade and high school in Birmingham, graduating in 1963. In 1967, he received his A.B. degree in English literature from Dartmouth College NH, following which he earned his Ph.D. in English and Comparative Literature from Columbia University NY (1973).

John spoke proudly of the dramatic career changes over the course of the 40 years of his professional working life, changes that he said gave him different ways of experiencing the world and his place in it. In his 20s, he worked as a teacher and professor of English (1968–1977); in his 30s, he worked as a financial planner and estate planner (1977–1986). After ten financially successful but spiritually dry years, he decided to sell his business in order to attend Meadville Lombard Theological School at the University of Chicago.

He graduated with his Master of Divinity in 1988 and was for the rest of his professional life called to his various ministries. Ordained by the First Unitarian Universalist Society of Burlington VT on June 12, 1988, he then served as a chaplain at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago (1989–1990) and as an administrator and chief operating officer at Park Lane Nursing Center in Chicago (1990–1992).

In 1992, he accepted a call from All Souls UU Church, Kansas City MO, where he would serve until 1998. At All Souls, John helped the church develop a more cost-effective organizational structure and fostered the congregation’s mutual care among its members. He increased the per-pledge-unit giving and encouraged a successful fundraising campaign, raising $800,000 for a significant capital renovation.

In Kansas City, John was also very active as a community activist. He was a founder and board member of Clergy United for Justice, advocating equal rights for gays and lesbians, and a founder and president of Congregational Partners, an anti-racist community organization. He served on the ethics committees of two hospitals, on the Banking Committee of Concerned Clergy Coalition, a predominantly African American clergy group, and on the religious affairs committee of the local Planned Parenthood. He regularly served as an escort at the Planned Parenthood clinic, where his ability to engage calmly and diplomatically with angry protesters was a gift to everyone concerned.

In 1998, John was appointed as Transitions Director at the UUA, a position he held until his retirement in 2010. As Transitions Director, John sought to increase the transparency of the UUA’s search and settlement process, exploring avenues by which congregations and ministers could conduct their searches with more information about each other. Those changes are still in effect today, as is the important work he and his team performed in professionalizing the Interim Ministry Program, promoting the recognition of the importance of interim ministry to congregations in transition. John and his team created the Accredited Interim Ministry program and trained ministers in the specialized work of helping congregations navigate their transitions.

John served the denomination in other ways throughout his long career: as a member of the Steering Committee of the Society of the Larger Ministry (1989–1993); helped organize Missouri UUs Against Discrimination and secured a grant from the UUA Fund for Social Justice on behalf of gays and lesbians (1993–94); as president of the Prairie Star District Chapter, UUMA (1995–1997), then as Good Offices person (1997–98); and as chair of the UUMA Guidelines Committee (1996). He also served on the UUA Task Force on Community Ministry and the Panel on Theological Education (2002– 2010). In 2010, he was named Meadville/Lombard’s Alumnus of the Year.

In his retirement, John remained active on behalf of social justice causes, including reproductive rights and anti-racism. In his leisure time, John enjoyed music (opera, jazz, and rock), theatre, long-distance hiking (he hiked the Appalachian Trail from Mt Katahdin to the Delaware Water Gap), and canoeing. During the last decade of his life John became an avid bicyclist. He bicycled from his home in Providence RI to his 50th high school reunion in Birmingham MI, a distance of almost 900 miles on his old Schwinn bicycle. In 2017 he biked on the same aged Schwinn from Sioux Falls SD to Rochester NY. (He had intended to bike home to Providence, but felt tired and bored, so he called his wife to meet him in Rochester. She did and they had a lovely, relatively short drive home.)

No biography of John would be complete without mention of his wide-ranging reading of philosophy, theology, and world religions. In his 20s he was a Joseph Conrad scholar; later, he read widely in theology and philosophy. He became an avid student of Hinduism, working his way through the Ramayana and the multi-volume Mahabharata. Reporting appreciatively on his trip to India in 2016, he described the sudden outbursts of noisy, chaotic parades: “If I were a Hindu, I’d be a Shivite. In addition to giving credence to the chaotic cyclicality of being, they have the best parades and drummers.” Such a remark captures one dimension of his personality: cherishing the most recondite with the most mundane, finding the philosophical perspective couched in the street-specific nugget.

John is survived by his wife Susan (Brown) Weston, whom he met at Columbia University and married in 1968; his sons Stephen and Nathaniel Weston; his three siblings, Mike, Carol, and Mark Weston; as well as by his four teen-aged grandchildren.

A memorial service is being planned in early October for the residents of Cathedral Village, the life-plan community where John and Susan have lived since 2016. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee.

Notes of condolence can be sent to Susan Weston at susanbweston@gmail.com or 600 E. Cathedral Rd, # D–203, Philadelphia PA 19128.

Marie E. Brown

Marie Elizabeth Brown, 89, passed away June 22, 2023. She was born May 18, 1934, in England. When she was six, during the Battle of Britain, an air raid siren sounded. In the resulting confusion she fell out of a bus, causing a severe concussion and resulting in petit mal epilepsy that continued the rest of her life.

Marie’s father was Roman Catholic requiring that the children attend Mass weekly. Her mother did not follow any specific religion. While Marie enjoyed Catholic rituals and traditions, she was greatly influenced by her mother’s openness to different beliefs. When she was 16, her family took a freighter to the US, traveling to visit her great-grandmother in Ohio. Her mother met Dwight Brown through the Chamber of Commerce and was so impressed she introduced him to Marie. Dwight described Marie as a lovely girl who loved moving about in nature, among trees and flowers, a dancing spirit. When Marie was 18 they married.

Upon Dwight’s decision to become a UU minister, they moved to Berkeley CA, for Dwight to attend Starr King. Marie worked as a seamstress and in childcare to help support the family and they were blessed with four children within six years.

Marie attended Kent State University and Texas Wesleyan, receiving her M.A. in Gifted Education. She developed the Pegasus Program for gifted children in Ohio. Her teaching influenced an enormous number of children. While Dwight was pastor of the Dallas UU Church, Marie began Creative Movement classes. This became one of her most loved endeavors.

Marie and Dwight were married 60 years. His ministry took them to Trenton NJ; Calgary, Alberta; Dallas TX, and Shaker Heights OH. He also served the UUA in Boston MA, New York City, and Ft Worth TX. Dwight died in 2012. For the last years of Marie’s life, she lived at Juniper Assisted Living. Even though she did not drive she maneuvered all over town on her motor-powered tricycle.

Marie became a member of the UU Church of the Hill Country in Kerrville, TX, in 2004 when she and Dwight retired there. She initiated and organized Forums; Adult Religious Education; Children’s Religious Education; and even took the church trash cans to the curb. She supported UBARU, the retreat center in Mountain Home, and new buildings were named in honor of her and Rev Dwight.

Marie is survived by their children Janet Brown of Dallas; Deborah Brister of Austin; Stephanie Murray of Brownwood TX; and David Brown of Boston; eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

A Memorial Gathering was held July 8 at the UU Church in Kerrville.

The Rev. Jose A. Ballester

The Rev. Jose A. Ballester died on June 7, 2023, at the age of 71 (1951-2023).

Jose is survived by his wife Susan Ballester; son Daniel Ballester; daughters Elizabeth Ballester, and Kathy Noonan; five grandchildren: Olivia, Maeve, Ariana, Ella, and Javi; his sister Nilda Core; as well as seven nieces and eight nephews.

A celebration of Jose’s life will take place at 10 am on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, at the Old Ship Church, 14 Main Street, Hingham MA 02043.

Memorial donations may be made to the World Central Kitchen. UURMaPA will contribute to the UUMA Endowment Fund in honor of our colleague’s ministry.

Notes of condolence can be sent to Susan Ballester & Family, 95 Parkview St. #108, South Weymouth MA 02190.

A more complete obituary will be forthcoming after biographical research has been completed. If any readers would wish to contribute information or reminiscences, we would welcome them. Please send them to UURMaPA’s clergy obituary editor, Jay Atkinson – jayatk40@gmail.com.

The Rev. Yielbonzie Charles Johnson

The Rev. Yielbonzie Charles Johnson died on June 2, 2023, at the age of 70 (1952-2023).

Yielbonzie is survived by his brother: Claude Johnson Jr. (Danielle); sister: Mary Outland; nieces: RoShona Anderson, Stephanie Johnson, and Shelly Johnson; nephews: Claude Johnson III (Christelle), Sterling Johnson (Liz), and Eric Henderson; his very dear friends: Carlton E. Smith and Francine Campbell (Yusuf); grandnieces and nephews; as well as his other relatives, friends, colleagues, and students.

A celebration of the life of Yielbonzie will take place at 2 p.m., on Saturday, June 10, 2023, at All Souls Unitarian Church, 2952 S. Peoria Ave., Tulsa OK 74114. The service will also be live streamed for those who are not able to attend.

Memorial donations may be made to the Unitarian Universalist Society for Ministerial Relief, c/o Rev. Susan Suchocki Brown, 80 Mill Glen Road, Winchendon MA 01475. UURMaPA will contribute to the UUMA Endowment Fund in honor of our colleague’s ministry.

Notes of condolence can be written here.