Hollis Huston
Hollis Wilburn Huston, Jr., the spouse of the Reverend Carol Huston, died peacefully at home in his Manhattan apartment on 2 August 2018. His wife, Carol, daughters Vanessa and Linnea, and Linnea’s fiancé Scott Will, were there with him in the last days. He is also survived by his mother, Annie Laura Cotten, sisters Becca and Laura, and nephew and nieces
He was born on 10 April 1947, in Durham, North Carolina. His family relocated frequently during his youth. After attending Loomis School in Windsor, CT, he attended Oberlin College and graduated with honors in June 1968. Hollis earned a Master’s Degree in Theatre from Tufts University and a Ph.D. from Ohio State University.
Hollis and Carol were married in 1968. Carol pursued careers as a teacher and a Unitarian Universalist minister. Hollis taught acting and theater courses at several universities, and was also active as a producer, director, and performer.
In St. Louis, he founded the Holy Roman Repertory Company (“Not holy, not Roman, just damn good radio”). In collaboration with others, he produced radio programs featuring performances of historical writings and music. The programs were recorded in live performance and then broadcast on NPR.
After moving to metro New York, where Carol served as minister of Community Unitarian Church in White Plains, Hollis followed his own call. He earned a Masters of Divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary in 2006. Even before graduation, he began work as a hospice chaplain. He is fondly remembered for his 13 years of work as a chaplain through early April 2018. He also preached at local UU churches, and maintained a blog entitled “The Next Circle.”
Hollis had been treated for prostate cancer in 2007, but his symptoms reappeared in 2015. He was able to keep working, reading and writing, but the disease worsened in 2018. He fractured his hip at the end of May, which led to hospitalization and rehab. On 21 July, he returned home for hospice care.
Memorial donations are encouraged to the Living Legacy Scholarship Fund, to support participation of people with limited funds in a Pilgrimage to Civil Rights Movement sites. Send contributions to John W. Harris, Treasurer for the Living Legacy Project, 9050 Fathers Legacy Unit 253, Ellicott City, MD 21042-5195.
Notes of condolence can be sent to Carol Huston, 940 St. Nicholas Ave SE, New York, NY 10032 revcarol@earthlink.net