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Obituaries
Requiescat: Canon Henrietta Neal
 Canon Henrietta Neal, longtime member of the Cathedral Congregation in Los Angeles, died on July 4. She was 103.
Services will be held at the Cathedral Center church at 11 am on Friday, July 11. Bishop J. Jon Bruno will preside and preach.
Neal was a devoted member of the Cathedral Congregation, and served on its altar guild for 40 years. On one occasion she set the altar for the first Eucharist celebrated by a newly ordained priest, one J. Jon Bruno. Bruno recalled the incident on Neal's 100th birthday in 2004 when, as Bishop of Los Angeles, he named her an honorary canon of the Cathedral Center for her long service to the church.
Henrietta Conerly Neal was born on October 21, 1904 in Anacoco, Louisiana. She was the eldest of seven children born to Ella Fax Conerly and Arthur Conerly. Henrietta attended Vernon parish Training School in Leesville, Louisiana. She later moved to Houston, and then to Los Angeles. She married George B. Neal in 1930. Although they had no children of their own, the Neals were adopted as family by neighborhood children wherever they lived.
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Canon Henrietta Neal, longtime member of the Cathedral Congregation in Los Angeles, died on July 4. She was 103.
Neal was a devoted member of the Cathedral Congregation, and served on its altar guild for 40 years. On one occasion she set the altar for the first Eucharist celebrated by a newly ordained priest, one J. Jon Bruno. Bruno recalled the incident on Neal's 100th birthday in 2004 when, as Bishop of Los Angeles, he named her an honorary canon of the Cathedral Center for her long service to the church.
Henrietta Conerly Neal was born on October 21, 1904 in Anacoco, Louisiana. She was the eldest of seven children born to Ella Fax Conerly and Arthur Conerly. Henrietta attended Vernon parish Training School in Leesville, Louisiana. She later moved to Houston, and then to Los Angeles. She married George B. Neal in 1930. Although they had no children of their own, the Neals were adopted as family by neighborhood children wherever they lived.
Neal worked as a housekeeper, but always said she was treated like family by her employers. "I don't mind working," she told friends. "Working don't kill nobody. I learned that from my grandfather."
Always an active church member, Neal became an Episcopalian in adulthood, and devoted herself to the altar guild and the religious education of children at her congregation.
Neal's husband, George, died in 1995, and her six siblings all predeceased her. She is survived by two nieces and four nephews, and many cousins, grand nieces and nephews, adopted nieces and a godson.
Services will be held at the Cathedral Center church at 11 am on Friday, July 11. Bishop J. Jon Bruno will preside and preach.
Requiescat: Lillian Curtis
Lillian Curtis, widow of the Rt. Rev. Ivol Ira Curtis, once Bishop Suffragan of Los Angeles, died at her home on Whidby Island, near Seattle, Washington, on May 11. She was 98.
Curtis had been a widow since her husband's death in 1994
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Lillian Curtis, widow of the Rt. Rev. Ivol Ira Curtis, once Bishop Suffragan of Los Angeles, died at her home on Whidby Island, near Seattle, Washington, on May 11. She was 98.
Curtis had been a widow since her husband's death in 1994.
The Curtises ministered at congregations in New York State, Boston and Michigan before he was called as rector of St. James' Church, Los Angeles. She sponsored several active ministries there, including St. Anne's Guild, an organization for unmarried women. When Ivol Curtis became bishop suffragan in Los Angeles and later Bishop of Olympia, Lillian became an active advocate for clergy spouses.
Lillian Curtis was born October 12, 1909 in Verden, South Dakota, to a farming family. She was graduated phi beta kappa in 1932 from Carleton College in Minnesota, and taught French for several years. She married Ivol Curtis, her college sweetheart, in 1936. At the age of 50, she earned a master's degree in French from Immaculate Heart College. She worked as a children's librarian, and then as a librarian for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Survivors include her sons, Don (Noel) Curtis and William Burling, three grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Requiescat: The Reverend Robert Lee Cornelison
 The Rev. Robert Lee Cornelison, retired rector of St. Mary's Church, Laguna Beach, died on April 23. He was 80.
Cornelison was called as rector of St. Mary's in 1968, and served there until his retirement in 1988. Through his leadership St. Mary's became a beacon of care and compassion to the entire Laguna Beach community.
With the parish, Cornelison helped found the Laguna Beach Free Clinic (now the Laguna Beach Community Clinic); Human Options, a comprehensive program for abused women; Laguna Outreach for gay and lesbian residents; Sally's Fund, which provides services for senior citizens; and Vista Aliso, a senior housing complex and community center.
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The Rev. Robert Lee Cornelison, retired rector of St. Mary's Church, Laguna Beach, died on April 23. He was 80.
Services were held on Saturday, Mary 10 at 2 pm at St. Mary's Church, 428 Park Avenue, Laguna Beach (949.494.3542).
Cornelison was called as rector of St. Mary's in 1968, and served there until his retirement in 1988. Through his leadership St. Mary's became a beacon of care and compassion to the entire Laguna Beach community. With the parish, Cornelison helped found the Laguna Beach Free Clinic (now the Laguna Beach Community Clinic); Human Options, a comprehensive program for abused women; Laguna Outreach for gay and lesbian residents; Sally's Fund, which provides services for senior citizens; and Vista Aliso, a senior housing complex and community center.
Brad Karelius, rector of Church of the Messiah, Santa Ana, who served as assistant rector at St. Mary's beginning in 1970, remembers that Cornelison caused some controversy with his new style of ministry. "Two months after I arrived, the church was packed and there was the tension of conflict," Karelius writes. "Bob was being criticized for his innovative ministry with young people on drugs (children of the wealthy families in Emerald Bay) and his ministry with hippies and the homeless. The rectors before him were the traditional old school, spent the day in their office, waiting for walk-ins or occasional hospital visits. Bob was the new avant guard, taking ministry to the streets. But the old guard of the parish wanted his head. Many community people stood up and testified to Bob's ministry of compassion. That turned the tide."
Cornelison was also for many years chair of the Program Group on Camping, and was a tireless advocate for Camp Stevens. Under his leadership the camp expanded its program to include sessions for families and conference facilities for large and small groups, in addition to the traditional summer sessions. He served on many other diocesan boards and committees during his long ministry.
He was also a licensed therapist, specializing in drug abuse and marriage and family issues. He served as a chaplain at South Coast Medical Center in Laguna Beach.
Prior to becoming rector of St. Mary's, Cornelison was rector of St. Mark's Church, Altadena, from 1961 to 1968. He had also served as canon pastor of the congregation at St. Paul's Cathedral from 1958 to 1961, and as curate at St. James' Church, South Pasadena, from 1956 to 1958.
Cornelison was born on January 21, 1928 in Los Angeles. He served in the U.S. Army as a staff sergeant before earning a bachelor's degree in sociology at the University of California at Los Angeles in 1953, followed by a master of divinity degree at Church Divinity School of the Pacific. He received a Ph.D. from the Institute of Advanced Studies in 1999. He was ordained to the diaconate in June 1956 and to the priesthood in February 1957 by Francis Eric Bloy, third Bishop of Los Angeles.
Survivors include Cornelison's five children--Leigh, Nina, Catherine, Robert and Eve--and several grandchildren.
Requiescat: The Rev. David Edward Bowser
The Rev. David Edward Bowser, once rector of St. Margaret's Church, South Gate, died on April 13. He was 58. Medical evidence indicates that he took his own life.
In recent years, Bowser had served as an assistant at Trinity Church, Redlands, and at St. Michael's Church, El Segundo. He came to the diocese in 1991 from the Diocese of El Camino Real as rector of the South Gate parish, but was inhibited in 1994 for misconduct issues, and reinstated after a three-year period.
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The Rev. David Edward Bowser, once rector of St. Margaret's Church, South Gate, died on April 13. He was 58. Medical evidence indicates that he took his own life.
In recent years, Bowser had served as an assistant at Trinity Church, Redlands, and at St. Michael's Church, El Segundo. He came to the diocese in 1991 from the Diocese of El Camino Real as rector of the South Gate parish, but was inhibited in 1994 for misconduct issues, and reinstated after a three-year period.
Bowser served for many years as a chaplain at hospitals and police departments, including the Rampart and support divisions of the Los Angeles Police Department. He spent some time in New York working at the site of the World Trade Center after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. He received several citations and awards for his chaplaincy work.
Before coming to the Diocese of Los Angeles, Bowser, who was fluent in Spanish, was rector of a parish in Venezuela, and curate of St. George's Church, Salinas. Before his ordination, he was a missionary in Ecuador through SAMS (South American Missionary Society of the Episcopal Church).
In earlier years, Bowser was a counselor, specializing in alcoholism issues, and a police office and police academy instructor in Washington, D.C.
At various times he served on advisory boards of the Salvation Army and an AIDS center. He was an aircraft pilot, a Cub Scout leader, and a member and officer of the Jaycees and Elks clubs.
David Edward Bowser was born October 8, 1949 in Tokyo, Japan. He studied at the University of North Carolina, and received a bachelor's degree in English and history summa cum laude from the University of Maryland, where he also studied counseling and family therapy. He later studied at Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry in Pennsylvania, where he earned a Diplomat certificate in lay ministry and a master's degree in theology. He was ordained to the diaconate in 1987 and to the priesthood in 1988.
Survivors include Bowser's wife, Mary Ann Newfield-Bowser, and his sons from a previous marriage, Michael and Stephen.
Services will be held at 9:30 am on Wednesday, April 23 at St. Basil's Roman Catholic Church, 3611 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles.
Requiescat: The Rev. Esther P. Brown
The Rev. Esther Pierce Brown, former vicar of St. John's Church, Needles, died on February 13 in Vermont, where she had lived since her retirement in 1997. She was 82.
During her term at St. John's, Brown led the congregation in opening "Save Haven," a shelter for battered women and their children.
Before becoming vicar at St. John's in 1991, Esther served as at St. Mary's Mission in Wilmington, Vermont, and then vicar of St. John the Baptist Church in Hardwick, Vermont. As the congregation achieved parish status, she became its first rector.
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The Rev. Esther Pierce Brown, former vicar of St. John's Church, Needles, died on February 13 in Vermont, where she had lived since her retirement in 1997. She was 82.
During her term at St. John's, Brown led the congregation in opening "Save Haven," a shelter for battered women and their children.
Before becoming vicar at St. John's in 1991, Esther served as at St. Mary's Mission in Wilmington, Vermont, and then vicar of St. John the Baptist Church in Hardwick, Vermont. As the congregation achieved parish status, she became its first rector.
Brown was the author or editor of several books, including Christopher Explores the Church, Susan Elizabeth Smith and Good Morning, Mother Church.
Before her ordination, Brown worked as a shepherd and a potter. She was an editor on the widely used Seabury Series for religious education, and served as Christian education officer for several organizations. She was ordained in Vermont in 1984.
Esther Pierce was born August 3, 1925 in Plainfield, Connecticut, and educated at Colby-Sawyer, Mount Holyoke, University of New Hampshire, the divinity schools of Duke University and Yale University, and at General Theological Seminary.
Survivors include her husband, W. Averell Brown, whom she married in 1957; their children, Alice and Philip; five grandchildren; and her three brothers, Luther, Milton and Richard Pierce, all of whom were ordained ministers in various Christian denominations.
Services were held on February 16 at St. John the Baptist Church in Hardwick, Vermont.
Requiescat: The Reverend Canon Harold G. Hultgren
 December 28, 2007
To: The clergy and lay leaders of the diocese
My brothers and sisters,
I am sorry to inform you that the Reverend Canon Harold George Hultgren, senior canon of the diocese, died on December 27. He was 87.
Harold served Holy Trinity Church, Alhambra, as rector for 30 years. He was the diocese's canon missioner for ecumenical and interreligious matters for 28 years, Secretary of Convention for 17 years and archivist and historiographer for six years.
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December 28, 2007
To: The clergy and lay leaders of the diocese
My brothers and sisters,
I am sorry to inform you that the Reverend Canon Harold George Hultgren, senior canon of the diocese, died on December 27. He was 87.
Harold served Holy Trinity Church, Alhambra, as rector for 30 years. He was the diocese's canon missioner for ecumenical and interreligious matters for 28 years, Secretary of Convention for 17 years and archivist and historiographer for six years.
Survivors include his wife of 30 years, Margaret, and sons Timothy and Paul. His second son, Peter, died in an automobile accident at age 21, and Greg, the youngest, died two years ago of cancer. Harold's first wife, Elaine Patricia, mother of his four sons, whom he married in 1945, died in 1970.
The Reverend Canon David Bauman will preside and preach at Requiem Eucharist at Holy Trinity Church at 11:30 am on Thursday, January 3.
After his retirement as diocesan interreligious/ecumenical officer in 1986, Harold and Margaret moved to the Lucerne Valley, where they had built a home. Harold served as interim priest at St. Peter's Church, Rialto, and St. Paul's Church, Barstow, and priest-in-charge of St. Joseph of Arimathea Church, Yucca Valley.
The list of Harold's achievements and his services to church and civic organizations is lengthy and varied. He served in 1987 as president of the Interreligious Council of Southern California, and was honored in February of that year by the National Conference of Christians and Jews for his efforts to foster understanding between faiths. He was a deputy to General Convention several times, and served on dozens of diocesan and church committees and commissions. He carried out an extensive ministry to Native Americans of the Navajo reservation in Arizona. He was known for his strong opposition to the ordination of women to the priesthood as well as his loyalty, service and devotion to the Episcopal Church. Francis Eric Bloy, third Bishop of Los Angeles, named him an honorary Canon of the Cathedral in 1973.
He was a member of the Society of King Charles the Martyr, the Society of the Holy Cross, North American Academy of Ecumenics, the National Episcopal Historical Association, the Society of Mary, the Guild of All Souls and the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament.
Harold was so well loved during his tenure at Holy Trinity, which began in 1953 and continued until 1983, that he was known around town as "Father Alhambra." The city's Civitan Club presented him its "Citizen of the Month" award in January 1960. He was a member of the local Kiwanis and Hi-12 clubs; president of the Alhambra Mental Health Program; a co-founder and board member of Family Guidance; board member of the United Fund; member of the Youth Coordination Council; member of the advisory committee for Alhambra Welfare Association; and a member of the Alhambra Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. He also served on the board of the city's public library and the local Red Cross, was a member of the Citizens Advisory Committee on Education, and was a co-founder and second president of the Alhambra Historical Society. He was a board member and chaplain of Alhambra Community Hospital, and made local headlines when he vehemently opposed sale of the facility to an outside interest. He was a chaplain to the city police and fire departments, and was presented with his own fireman's badge in 1975.
He received the Grand Knights' Fellowship Award of the Knights of Columbus. B'nai B'rith named him Community Man of the Year and the Alhambra Chamber of Commerce's presented him its prestigious Past President's Award. Other honors included a Resolution of Honor from the California State Assembly (1978); the California Council for Adult Education's Abram Friedman Award (1983); a Distinguished Merit citation from the National Conference of Christians and Jews (1987); the Boy Scouts of America's Order of the Arrow (1962); several awards from the United Way and Chamber of Commerce; and many honorary life memberships.
After his retirement, Harold served on a variety of similar civic and community organizations in his new home in the Lucerne Valley.
Prior to his service in the Diocese of Los Angeles, Harold served congregations in New York City, Long Island City, Boston and Okauchee, Wisconsin.
Harold George Hultgren was born in New York City on October 2, 1920. He received his B.A. degree magna cum laude at Carroll College, Waukesha, Wisconsin in 1942. He earned B.D. and M.Div degrees in 1945 and 1946 at Nashotah House, Wisconsin, and engaged in graduate studies at General Theological Seminary and Harvard Divinity School. Nashotah conferred an honorary doctorate on Harold in 1976.
Rest eternal grant your servant Harold, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon him.
Yours in Christ,
+J. Jon Bruno
Bishop of Los Angeles
Requiescat: The Reverend Robert Charles Woodfield
The Reverend Robert Charles Woodfield, associate rector emeritus of All Saints' Church, Long Beach, died on December 23. He was 87.
Requiem Eucharist will be celebrated on Saturday, January 5 at 3 pm at All Saints' Church, Long Beach.
Woodfield served at All Saints' Church from 1975 until his retirement in 1985. He continued to serve in several capacities after that time, including as chaplain at the Long Beach Veterans' Administration Hospital and as assistant at Church of the Ascension, Sierra Madre (1986-89).
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The Reverend Robert Charles Woodfield, associate rector emeritus of All Saints' Church, Long Beach, died on December 23. He was 87.
Requiem Eucharist will be celebrated on Saturday, January 5 at 3 pm at All Saints' Church, Long Beach.
Woodfield served at All Saints' Church from 1975 until his retirement in 1985. He continued to serve in several capacities after that time, including as chaplain at the Long Beach Veterans' Administration Hospital and as assistant at Church of the Ascension, Sierra Madre (1986-89).
He served on the diocese's ecumenical commission from 1976 to 1991, and was a representative from the diocese to the Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue in 1983 and 1984.
Woodfield served as vicar of St. Peter's Church, Rialto, from 1967 to 1975, and as headmaster of All Saints' Day School, San Diego, from 1965 to 1967 (at that time part of the Diocese of Los Angeles). Before moving to Southern California, he served congregations in Texas, Alabama and Minnesota.
He was a member of the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament, the Society of the Holy Cross, the Society of Mary, the Third Order of St. Francis, and Forward in Faith. He was the author of Christ the King Lessons.
Woodfield served as a chaplain in the United States Army, beginning in 1951 and continuing until 1973, a tenure that included service in Korea. He attained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, and was awarded the Bronze Star.
Robert C. Woodfield was born in Troy, New York, on March 19, 1920. He earned a bachelor's degree at Syracuse University, a master's degree at Garrett Theological Seminary, and also studied at Seabury-Western Theological Seminary and at the Theological School of the Tertiary of the Society of St. Francis.
In 1949, Woodfield was married to Donna R. Cummings. The couple had two children: James Michael and Julia Ann Worth.
Requiescant: Mary Elizabeth Bylin
Mary Elizabeth Bylin, longtime director of the Corporation of the Diocese, died December 18. She was 91.
Services were held December 28 at St. John's Church, Corona, where Bylin was a member. Her family has requested that any memorial contributions be made to St. John's Building Fund.
During her years on the Corporation's Board of Directors, Bylin served terms as secretary and first vice president.
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Mary Elizabeth Bylin, longtime director of the Corporation of the Diocese, died December 18. She was 91.
Services were held December 28 at St. John's Church, Corona, where Bylin was a member. Her family has requested that any memorial contributions be made to St. John's Building Fund.
During her years on the Corporation's Board of Directors, Bylin served terms as secretary and first vice president.
She also served for many years on the diocesan Altar Guild and was active in the Episcopal Church Women. She was honored in 1989 for 13 years continuous service as a member of the board of directors of St. Barnabas Senior Center in Los Angeles.
Requiescat: The Rev. Michael Bishop
The Rev. Michael Bishop, former rector of St. Ambrose's Church, Claremont, died on Tuesday, November 13, in Norfolk, England, where he was a farmer and part-time pastor in recent years. He was 80.
Survivors include his wife, Valerie, and sons Timothy and Ian.
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The Rev. Michael Bishop, former rector of St. Ambrose's Church, Claremont, died on Tuesday, November 13, in Norfolk, England, where he was a farmer and part-time pastor in recent years. He was 80.
Survivors include his wife, Valerie, and sons Timothy and Ian.
A service to celebrate Bishop's life will take place at St Mary's Church, Colkirk, Norfolk on Thursday, November 22. Memorial donations to the Samaritans may be sent to Fakenham & District Funeral Services, Weasenham Manor, Fakenham Road, Weasenham, King's Lynn, Norfolk PE32 2TF. (Telephone: 01328 838838)
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