In Memoriam

The place where we share information about members who have passed away

If you know of the death of a member that we have not announced, please contact Nancy Gonzalez at nancygonzalez@ncfr.org.

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Leah Cahan Schaefer

passed away January 25, 2013

Dr. Leah Cahan Schaefer died Friday, Jan. 25, 2013. Leah was a pioneer in the field of gender and sexuality, and has been an NCFR member since 1957.

Mollie S. Smart

passed away October 22, 2012

Mollie S. Smart passed away at her home in Ridgefield, WA on October 22, 2012. Mollie was a charter member of NCFR, joining at its founding in 1938.

In loving memory: NCFR leaders who passed away in the past year

See the program and PowerPoint presentation from the memorial service at the 2012 NCFR conference.

Vivian Rose Gedaly-Duff, ,63, passed away at her home in Portland, OR on Sept. 6, 2012 after a four-year battle with breast cancer. She had been a member of NCFR since 1992 and an active member of the Families and Health Section.

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Jean Warner Bauer

passed away July 23, 2012

Jean Warner Bauer of Falcon Heights, MN passed away on July 23, 2012. She has been a professor in the Department of Family Social Science, University of Minnesota, since 1983.

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Alexis J. Walker

passed away July 8, 2012

The National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) regrets to inform the academic community of the loss of one of the former editors of the Journal of Marriage and Family from 2002-2007, one of the field’s finest scholars and a cherished friend and colleague.

Judith Wallerstein

passed away June 18, 2012

Judith Wallerstein, long time NCFR member and noted researcher, passed away June 18 at the age of 90. Judith was well-known in the field for her extensive study of the children of divorce.

Virginia Norris Anderson

passed away April 3, 2012

Virginia Lee Norris Anderson, 85, of Beaumont, died Tuesday, April 3, 2012, at Harbor Hospice, Beaumont, Texas. Born November 20, 1926, she had been resident of Beaumont since 1958. She was designated Certified Family Life Educator Emeritus by the National Council on Family Relations. She helped develop the certification requirements for family life educators that were adopted as a national standard.

Carl Williams

NCFR staff sadly announces the passing of Carl Williams, NCFR annual conference A/V consultant.

Margaret (Jacobson) Bubolz

Dr. Bubolz was a professor and chairperson of the Department of Family and Child Sciences at Michigan State University, and an NCFR member since 1959.

Larissa Frias

Dr. Frias was an assistant professor of family and consumer sciences specializing in family studies. She joined the WMU faculty in 2008, and had been an NCFR member since 2004.

Mary Ellen Shachat

died on October 2, 2011

Mary Ellen (Killingsworth-Newman) Shachat completed her professional career employed at the University of Maryland. She also worked at Penn State University and The Ohio State University, as part of their extension education faculty. Mary Ellen was an NCFR member since 1987 and served in numerous leadership roles in NCFR affiliate councils.

Jerry J. Bigner

passed away unexpectedly July 30, 2011

Dr. Bigner was a professor emeritus at Colorado State University in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies, and an NCFR member since 1966.

James Walters

died on March 6, 2011

Dr. Walters worked at the University of Alabama, Oklahoma State University, Florida State University, and the University of Georgia, where he retired in 1989. Dr. Walters joined NCFR in 1957, and was appointed editor of the journal Family Relations in 1976. He also served as President of NCFR from 1982 to 1983.

Norval D. Glenn

died peacefully at Seton Medical Center Williamson on February 15, 2011

Norval was the Ashbel Smith Professor, University of Texas since 1984 and Stiles Professor in American Studies, University of Texas since 1991. Dr. Glenn joined NCFR in 1976.

Catherine S. Chilman

died of natural causes at the age of 96 on January 27, 2011

Dr. Chilman earned her B.A. from Oberlin College in 1935, obtaining her M.A. in Social Work from the University of Chicago in 1938, and her Ph.D. in Psychology from Syracuse University in 1958. Dr. Chilman joined NCFR in 1950.

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