Milestones January 2014

Milestones

Fullerton—Howard N. Fullerton Jr., 75, of Sandy Spring, Md., on May 19, 2013. Howard was born on January 31, 1938, in Newtown, Ind., and grew up in a Presbyterian family on a farm. At Oberlin College, he studied economics and classics and became interested in the Religious Society of Friends. He graduated in 1960 and began work conducting wage index surveys for the federal government. After serving as a non-combatant in the army for two years, in 1965 he moved to Washington, D.C., for work with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasting the composition of the American workforce, earning a master’s in statistics from George Washington University. Also in 1965, he became a Quaker and joined Young Friends of North America, where he met Florence (Flossie) Yarnall. They married on June 15, 1968, under the care of Friends Meeting of Washington (D.C.) and State College (Pa.) Meeting, at Pendle Hill in Wallingford, Pa. Howard was a tireless and faithful servant of Friends, active first at Friends Meeting of Washington and then at Sandy Spring Meeting, teaching First-day school, working on many committees, facilitating Bible study, and serving as treasurer and as clerk. In Baltimore Yearly Meeting, he served as presiding clerk, representative (interim) meeting clerk, and clerk of the Manual of Procedure Committee. During annual sessions, he helped out in the nursery and led Bible study when not clerking, sharing his wealth of knowledge about the Bible, the holy lands, and Bible commentary, reflecting on how the Bible is relevant to Quakerism today and sharing personal experiences and insights as well as welcoming others’ participation and thoughts. Friends turned to him for his rich knowledge about Quaker process and procedures and historical information about meetings across the country, particularly within Baltimore Yearly Meeting. In Sandy Spring Meeting, he and Betsy Meyer developed the Quaker Stations of the Cross, which continues on Good Friday each year. Howard provided steady and calm guidance in meeting for worship with a concern for business; his gentle way of leading helped Friends to experience the rise of Spirit in discernment. When he joined the board of Friends United Meeting (FUM), he clerked the Finance Committee; his financial experience helped FUM to be grounded at a time of difficult issues. His six-year self-effacing presence on the Board helped in bringing order to FUM. In addressing difficulties, he would distill the facts and seek a vision for how to get things on track. He supported and took part in developing a process for listening to all branches of Friends. In the 1990s, he led a working group that established best practices for personnel and budgetary matters for the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL). He retired in 2003, and in 2005 he and Flossie moved to Friends House in Sandy Spring. He served as president of the Residents Association and worked on the Finance and Computer Committees. A mainstay of the Men’s Breakfast Group, he enjoyed sharing his interest in model trains, weather statistics, and demography, and his nurturing added to the fellowship. He delighted in speaking of his daughters, Meg and Kate, and his joy of family. A person of deep faith, Howard felt that his Presbyterian roots grounded him on his spiritual journey. Friends sought him out for guidance in their discernment. He mentored and supported many younger Friends in the development and expression of their gifts. He had integrity, a wry sense of humor, and insight that he gently shared in the support of community. Friends celebrate his life and are grateful for his presence in their lives and the example he set. Howard is survived by his wife, Flossie Fullerton; two children, Margaret Regal (Joseph) and Katherine Armour (Eric); and five grandchildren.

Jennett—Kathleen Jennett, 83, on March 13, 2013, in Portland, Ore., of a heart attack, mercifully spared from lingering pain. Kathleen was born on May 24, 1929, in Sheffield, England, the second daughter of Evangeline Wills and George Jennett. Excelling at music and languages and loving both learning and teaching, she loved school and cherished the friendships she made there. She became a primary school teacher, often leading school choirs and drama clubs. Always a good correspondent, she first came to the United States in 1955 at the invitation of a pen friend from Canton, Ohio. While visiting there, Kathleen had an interview with the superintendent of schools and was offered a teaching job on the spot. She returned on a permanent visa and taught in Ohio for the next 12 years, earning a bachelor’s from Kent State University, and becoming a U.S. citizen in 1963. In 1968, she took a break from classroom teaching to work as a curriculum consultant for an educational publishing company, traveling all over New England, with a home base in Massachusetts. When she felt ready to teach again, she took a job in Sudbury, Mass. She lived in several nearby towns, investing in rental properties over time. During this period she and her sister, Audrey, were both introduced to Quakerism by the British Quaker writer David Wills, their maternal uncle. Kathleen joined the Framingham (Mass.) Meeting. When she retired in 1988, she sold all her properties and moved with her loyal cat, Patrick, to the Portland area for its temperate climate. She soon found Multnomah Meeting in Portland and became an active participant. When the meeting decided to form an Investment Committee, Kathleen did research about ethical investing. She loved attending the gatherings of the group of Friends over 40 called 3Ms, and she enjoyed inviting all her Quaker Friends to her home to celebrate the holidays. In 1990, she had a house built in Aloha, Ore. She enjoyed decorating and landscaping it and having time and space for all her hobbies: knitting, sewing, gardening, and playing the piano. She also liked to travel, often in the company of her sister. After several years, Kathleen found what she hoped would be her final home at Marshall Union Manor, a place nearer to the concerts and plays in Portland. There she taught music appreciation for the Senior Studies Program, attended Elderhostel programs, and took classes at Portland State University. In 2007, she gave a triumphant piano recital to Manor residents and friends, but by the end of 2007, she was beginning to experience the effects of Alzheimer’s disease. By 2010, it became impossible for her to live alone, and a group of Quakers set out to find her a living situation and were fortunate to find Rose City Adult Foster Care. There, the Grejuc family made her feel safe and loved. She especially enjoyed living with their children and pets and sharing meals with the other residents. Friends shared many stories of her life at her memorial service, recalling and celebrating her love of music and her enjoyment of education. One Friend remembered her as a risk taker, always willing to try new things, and another recalled being warmly welcomed into meeting membership at Kathleen’s house with an authentic British feast. Kathleen is survived by her sister, Audrey Jennett.

Livingston—David Edward Livingston, 91, on January 27, 2013, in Tucson, Ariz. David was born on August 28, 1921, in New York City, the eldest child of Gertrude and Edward Livingston. He and his four sisters grew up in an apartment above his father’s medical office on New York’s Upper West Side. He attended high school at Hunter College until his sophomore year when he was sent to New York Military Academy, graduating with honors in 1940. During World War II, he served as a medic in the army in North Africa and Italy, and after the war, he attended New York University. While living in a Christian community called Calvary House, he met Dorothy Dotzauer, from Cincinnati, Ohio. Soon after their wedding in 1948, they moved to Oskaloosa, Iowa, for his study at William Penn College. Then they moved to Mitchell, S.D. where David attended Dakota Wesleyan University, receiving a bachelor’s in psychology and religious education, and Dorothy worked to support them. After graduation, he directed youth programs for the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) in Chicago. In 1951, he and Dorothy welcomed twin daughters and surrounded them with a loving, multiracial, multicultural community. Seeking a spiritual home, he and Dorothy found themselves comfortable with the peace testimony and silent worship of Quaker meetings. When his work moved to New Jersey, they joined the Ridgewood (N.J.) Meeting, and in 1957, they helped build a permanent meetinghouse there in a location between the black and the white areas of town. The meetinghouse also serving as home to Youth Peace Fellowship meetings during the Vietnam War. David included his daughter Deborah in peace work, and she became increasingly active from the age of 12 or 13, arrested for civil disobedience with David during a peace march in New Jersey. They were also among the thousands who gathered in NYC and Washington, D.C., to protest the war. He and Dorothy helped to start Friends Neighborhood Nursery in Ridgewood, welcoming families from diverse cultures and backgrounds. David changed careers during the 1960s and worked for 30 years at the Hackensack Medical Center as a respiratory therapist, always on the night shift, which although it was a struggle for his wife and children, suited his personality. The couple moved to Tucson, Ariz., in 1989 to be closer to Deborah, buying the first home they had ever owned. They became members of Pima Meeting in Tucson, joining the Peace and Social Concerns Committee. Working throughout their lives for equality, peace, and justice, they inspired others to continue the struggle and brought Light to the hearts of those around them. David’s three surviving sisters remember him as warm and loving, one who could always bring a smile to others. David enjoyed family gatherings, was an avid reader, and loved to cook. As Dorothy became weaker, he took on the household chores and the preparing of meals. She died in 2006 after a long battle with heart disease, and David moved closer to Deborah, so that she could visit almost daily. The family appreciates the loving care provided by many during these last years. One of David’s sisters passed away in 2006. He is survived by two children, Marcia Livingston (Jana Sanguinetti) and Deborah Livingston (Dennis Keyes); four grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; three sisters; and many nieces and nephews.

Nipp-Kientz—Deanna Nipp-Kientz, 69, on June 21, 2012, in Cookeville, Tenn., after several months during which aggressive cancer took her body but not her spirit. Deanna (Dede to her special friends) was born on September 26, 1942, to Claudine Manderer and De-Edmund Nipp in Springfield, Ill., where she grew up and attended school with her twin sister, Judy. In 1964, Deanna graduated from MacMurray College in Jacksonville, Ill., with a degree in biology, and two years later she received a master’s in microbiology from University of Missouri. After working for several years as a technician in research laboratories at University of Missouri Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, in 1972 she earned a master’s from the School of Information and Library Science of Pratt Institute. She was a speaker, panelist, and presenter at many library conferences beginning in 1975, publishing articles in library and university journals and serving in library positions at Hofstra University, Mansfield University of Pennsylvania, and Rutgers University. In 1982, she designed and programmed Search and Find it!, a game of orientation to the Mansfield State College Libraries, and in 1991 she developed Back to Basics: Integrating CD-ROM Instruction with Standard User Education. From 1991 until her death, she was coordinator of library public services at Tennessee Technological University (TTU), hired with the rank of associate professor, granted tenure in 1996, promoted to full professor in 2008, and served as interim director of the library from 2008 to 2010. Deanna had always been interested in peace, and her reaction to 9/11 and events following motivated her to seek out and begin attending Cookeville (Tenn.) Meeting, where she served in many capacities: recording clerk, treasurer, and member of several committees and projects, including the meeting’s two peace essay contests for local high school students. She often attended Southern Appalachian Yearly Meeting annual sessions, and her sense of responsibility and willingness to take on duties others groaned at brought her the SAYMA treasurer’s position. Volunteering her talents and dedication, she was a member of Beta Phi Mu, the international honor society for library and information science; the American Library Association; and Tenn-Share, for which as board member and membership records coordinator, she was known as the Database Queen and Head Cheerleader. Following her peace Light, she served on the Cookeville board of Mediation Services, and from 2004 on, she served as faculty advisor of the TTU Students for Human Rights. Upbeat and personable, Deanna found something to appreciate in everybody, even when they were arrogant or difficult, and even when she was overburdened, exhausted, or sick. Friends will miss her ready and sophisticated sense of humor; quick wit; musical talent with song, recorder, and whistle; and plenty of love to spread around. A year after her death, the Tennessee Library Association and her colleagues in the TTU library joined together to honor her dedication and her willingness to both learn and mentor, donating a painting, Rain of Peace, an acrylic work on canvas by Israeli artist Michal Shimoni, to the library in her memory. Deanna is survived by her husband, Turtle Kientz; her mother, Claudine Manderer; two children, Amy Howe and David Howe; two grandchildren; and her twin sister, Judy Kloster. Deanna’s husband of six years has willed his and Deanna’s home to the Cookeville Friends in her honor and memory.

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