Samuel E. Loliger

Samuel Loliger, the Coalition’s longtime National Coordinator, died Thursday, Jan. 2, after a long illness. He was 76.

Please hold Sam in your prayers as he begins his new life in the company of all the saints, and for Don Behr, Sam’s loving and devoted husband.

Sam was National Coordinator together with Loey Powell and, later, Jan Griesinger, during a turning point in our movement’s history. They were in leadership when General Synod adopted the UCC’s ONA resolution in 1985, and it was on their watch that the foundations were laid for what later became the largest and fastest-growing LGBT-welcoming church movement in the world.

For more about Sam’s ministry in the LGBTQ community, read this biography.

Sam’s memorial service will be at 2:30 p.m. Jan. 12 at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Buffalo.

Please send cards and letters to this address:

Mr. Don Behr
333 Argonne Dr.
Buffalo, NY 14217-2417

Sam requested that donations in his memory be made to the UCC Coalition for LGBT Concerns.

The Coalition wants to thank all of you who shared your stories about Sam last month when he entered hospice care. Don read these to Sam, and they made a difference in his final weeks.