Early Eighties celebration of female ministers in the PNWD-UUMA. Sandy is standing at the far right. I'm seated, second from right. Presented by the female parishioners of University Unitarian UU Church in Seattle, who provided bubblegum cigars and real brandy.
The Reverend Doctor Sandra G. Lee died Friday the 23rd of June, from an unknown illness, following fifteen days of hospitalization . She is survived by her sister, Marsha Green, of McAlester, OK, and her spouse, Don Bell of Grand Junction. She was born Sandra Lee Gillogly, September 1, 1942 on an island in the middle of the Republican River, between Kansas and Oklahoma near Junction City Kansas. She graduated from Ponca City High school in 1962, and earned a BS Degree in Chemistry at the University of Central Oklahoma. She worked in both private and Navy laboratories for 20 years, before deciding to become a Unitarian Universalist Minister.
In 1988, she obtained her Masters of Theology from Vancouver School of Theology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC and was Ordained into the Unitarian Universalist Ministry that year at First Unitarian Church, Portland, Oregon. In 1998, she received her Doctorate of Theology from the University of Creation Spiritualty in Oakland, CA. She considered herself a naturalistic mystic, identifying closely with Hildegard of Bingen and Matthew Fox.
She served part time at several Unitarian Universalist congregations in Washington and Oregon before being called to full time ministry at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Olympia, Washington. As part of that ministry, she was consulted by several couples in regard to whether they should abort a pregnancy. She was strongly pro-choice. However, in counseling those couples, she always worked with them in regard to how they would feel in the future. So far as she learned, none of them ever chose abortion.
Following ten years of ministry in Olympia, she was called by the Uncompahgre Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Grand Junction, CO, where she served three years. After leaving the church ministry, she became a Hospice Chaplain for several years prior to retiring from Ministry. In that "retirement" she worked nearly full time as an art jeweler and art quilt artist, winning several national competitions with her quilts. More recently, she has used her fabric skills to create Resistance Pussyhats for distribution to other Resistance members.
Her eclectic polymath interests included philosophy, theology, spiritual exploration, silversmithing, paper and fabric crafts, winemaking, air dynamics and the manufacture of kites, and who knows what else... She also felt strongly that it was important to appreciate the artistic endeavors of others, and was an enthusiastic appreciator of all manners of art. She studied and admired all creation and natural phenomena, particularly the Dark, the Stars and all Nature. Her appreciation of life has been exhibited by her choice of companion creatures, which have included fish, a raccoon, a sheep, many dogs and cats, including her current friends, Rita Chipeta the Double Yellow Headed Amazon parrot, the felines Red Phred and the Tu-Tones (one long hair and two short hair Siamese) and her spouse, Don.
Donations in lieu of flowers are suggested, to NARAL https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/2017search_ck/?refcode=CK_Jan2017 or
To the Charity of your choice, or to the Red Phred and the Tu-tones Support Fund co/ Don Bell, 315 Ouray Ave, Grand Junction, CO 81501
______________________________
THE REVEREND JOAN KAHN-SCHNEIDER
This second notification was sent at the same time as the one about Sandy. I didn't know her.
The Board of the Retired Ministers and Partners Association joins the Ministries and Faith Development staff to offer our condolences to the family and colleagues of the Rev. Joan Kahn-Schneider, who died on June 18, 2017 at the age of 86.
She is survived by children David Friedman, Jim Friedman, Robin Guethlein, and Jerri Menaul; eight grandchildren; and sister Lu Cohen.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the UUA Living Tradition Fund. A memorial service is being planned for July, to take place at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Hendersonville, 409 E Patterson St, Hendersonville, NC, 28739. There will also be a small gathering in Cincinnati, OH.
From "Linked In," an online professional network.
Skilled counselor. specializing in transitions and the stress that accompanies life change. Works with individuals and groups. Credentialed in Transitional Analysis, Gestalt, Family Systems, Hospice Bereavement Counseling
International speaker, teacher, consultant.
Proven record as a team builder.
Delights in presiding at weddings, memorial services, child dedications, with emphasis on every ceremony being designed for each individual.
Degree in Psychology, Ministry and Organizational Behavior.
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These two women are examples of a ministry turning "pink," towards the "spiritual" and consoling, away from the black-gowned academic model of the learned minister with a Ph.D. that had earlier characterized the UU ministry. Both could be fairly militant feminists, but both of these women stayed married. It could be argued that their growing presence changed the denomination.
Sandy and I were not theologically aligned. She had a wonderful house with a view of the Pacific Ocean which the front room was terraced to ensure line of sight. She offered it to the women UU ministers of the PNWD for a sleep-over and we rolled out our sleeping bags at various levels. We trooped into her bedroom to visit her curious parrot who peered at us and made unintelligible remarks. I was surprised and not quite amused to see that Sandy had created an altar at the foot of her bed. It was a sandbox landscape populated by Care Bears. I thought, “Childish!” But who is more sophisticated, the person who uses toys as symbols or the person who scoffs at doing that?
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