Peter F. Wojnar ’81 passed away on June 8, 2018. He was 59. Wojner majored in government at Wesleyan and earned a doctoral grade from Harvard University. Wojnar was a longtime resident of Tarrytown.He is survived by his former wife, Laurie Jacobs ’81, his children Elizabeth ’12, Julia Ann, and Benjamin Wojnar, as well as his siblings, Mark and Andrea Wojnar-Diagne’86, and his nieces and nephews.
Kim C. Fabricius ’70 passed away on July 1, 2018 at the age of 69. The following is an heartfelt obituary by Fabricius’ friend, Ben Myers:
My friend Kim Fabricius has died. On the weekend I received an email from his family. He was at his local coffee shop when he died, suddenly and unexpectedly. I didn’t realise a person like that could die. I had assumed that a light as bright as Kim’s would never go out.
He used to sit at that coffee shop scribbling his prolific “doodlings” – jokes and aphorisms and insults – on the paper napkins, before sending them to me.
We became friends 12 years ago when Kim started writing with me on the Faith & Theology blog. I loved the guy. He was so funny, so sharp, so widely read, so cultured in an utterly irreverent and self-deprecating way, so over-the-top, so New York. He got his Christianity straight from Karl Barth and Dostoevsky and the Book of Job, which might explain why he didn’t have much patience for cultural Christianity or the platitudes of a feel-good therapeutic faith.
He had become a Christian while reading Karl Barth’s commentary on Romans: at the start of the book he was an unbeliever, and by the end of it he had decided to become a minister of the gospel. (Later, when he had a son, he named him Karl.)
Kim spent a long ministry in a little Reformed congregation in Swansea in the south of Wales. He was a pastor to those people, as you’ll know if you have read any of the innumerable sermons, hymns, and liturgies that he made available online. Not to mention his seemingly endless supply of down-to-earth wisdom about the ministry: “When I prepare couples for marriage and come to the vow ‘till death us do part’, I always tell them to cheer up – it could be longer.” Or this: “It may be easier to negotiate with a terrorist than with a church organist, but it is easier to negotiate with a church organist than with a cat.” Or this: “A minister is something of a jack-of-all-trades – without the skills.”
In some ways Kim was a pastor to me too. We wrote to each other hundreds (or was it thousands?) of times. When I suffered personal griefs and defeats, I would turn to him for counsel. He was a pastoral realist, he liked to face things squarely just as they are, and there was great understanding and great kindness in the way he could talk to you about the challenges of living with ordinary human brokenness. He was one of those people who makes you wonder if there might be a point to having Christian ministers around after all.
Kim was a person with few illusions and much love. “What’s the difference between optimism and hope?” he once asked, and answered: “Hope is for pessimists.”
He wrote once that “God invented the church to give atheists a fighting chance” – yet he devoted his life to serving the church. He railed against America – yet he was proud to be a New Yorker, and he was always contemplating the theological advantages of American sports. In a very characteristic remark, he wrote: “Karl Barth said that when he gets to heaven he will seek out Mozart before Calvin. Quite right – and presumably he spoke to Calvin only to compare errors. Me – I’ll be heading for the choir of angels, to find Sandy Koufax, to see how he made the baseball sing.” (But the pitcher has outlived the pastor. I hope Sandy Koufax will seek out Kim one day and bestow the longed-for benediction.)
Kim and I had formed a strong friendship over the internet before we ever met in person. We met one day in the United States – it was during one of his annual trips to New York to visit his mother – and I was stunned to realise that he was thirty years older than me. His heart and mind were so young, I had assumed that perhaps I was the elder brother. He was old enough to be my father, yet Kim Fabricius was one of the youngest people I have ever known. In his mind there was nothing stagnant or stale. He was still curious, still supple, still exploring the possibilities, still seeing life as an adventure of faith, hope, and love. At the age of 69 he died; and he was only getting started.
We thank Ben Myers for this heartfelt obituary.
John Corn ’63 passed away on July 13, 2018 at the age of 77. At Wesleyan, he majored in government and later earned his MBA in economics from the University of Chicago. He is survived by his brother, Joseph Corn.
Robert “Bob” Johnson ’61 passed away on Oct. 10, 2018 at his home in Nokomis, Fla. He is survived by his wife Suzanne; his sons, Kendall of Rye, N.Y., and Robert of Sydney, Australia; three grandchildren, Schuyler, Bowen, and Sloane of Rye; his sister Elizabeth Annin of La Crescenta, Calif.; and two brothers, James of Granite City, Ill., and Richard of Alton, Ill.
Bob battled prostate cancer with intelligence, courage and without complaint for nearly 20 years, taking charge of his own health and counseling others with this disease. Despite the difficulties he faced, he never gave up hope or lost faith.
Bob attended the Bronxville Elementary School before earning a scholarship to Hackley School in Tarrytown, N.Y. He graduated with the Class of 1957. He served Hackley School for more than 60 years as class secretary, class representative, chair of multiple class reunions, chair of the 50+ Club, and as a director of the alumni association. In 2012 he received the Hackley Alumni Association’s Alumni Service Award, which recognizes a record of service rather than a single act or achievement. It is the highest honor bestowed by the Alumni Association.
While at Wesleyan, Bob majored in English, studying under a few special professors, most notably Richard Wilbur MA’58 who went on to become the first Poet Laureate of the U.S. Bob was a member of Delta Tau Delta, and enjoyed singing. Later in his life was a member of Dr. Schuller’s Hour of Power Crystal Cathedral Choir, the Venice (Florida) Chorale, and he sang with his wife Suzanne in the Chancel Choir at Venice Presbyterian Church.
During his 40-year professional career, Bob held senior executive positions in the fields of publishing, printing, and paper, at companies including Time Inc., Macmillan, Abitibi-Price, and R. R. Donnelley. His hobbies included golf and travel, and he was proud of the fact that he visited 49 countries.
During his time as a resident of Bronxville, N.Y., he was a member of the Field Club, Siwanoy, and The Camp Fire Club in Chappaqua, N.Y. He was an elder on Great Consistory of The Reformed Church. As president of Lawrence Park Hilltop Association, he guided the process for this neighborhood to be listed in the National Register of Historic Places. He also launched the project of creating a book titled, Lawrence Park, Bronxville’s Turn-of-the-Century Art Colony.
Among his other civic activities while living in Westchester, Bob was a director of Lake Isle Country Club during its formative years, president of the Men’s Republican Club of Bronxville, and a candidate for councilman of the Eastchester Town Board, vice president of the Bronxville PTA, and chairman of United Way of BET.
In retirement, he spent part of each year in Florida and was an ordained elder serving on Session of Venice Presbyterian Church, where he contributed to many activities, including the Endowment Committee, the Men’s Discussion Group, and the Lenten Worship Guide. He also served on the planning committee of Peace River Presbytery. Bob and Suzanne belonged to Mission Valley Golf & Country Club, where he at one time served as vice president and a director. He also was an active supporter of the Venice Symphony.
Condolences can be addressed to Suzanne Johnson at 2438 Sonoma Drive West, Nokomis, FL 34275.
We thank John Gannon ’86 for this heartfelt obituary.
William C. Gordon ’55 passed away on July 9, 2018. He was 85. Gordon was a devoted Wesleyan alumnus and member of Eclectic. At Wesleyan, he majored in economics and earned a master’s from Wesleyan. He went on to earn an MBA from UConn. He was an Army veteran who served in post-war Korea. His father, Carlton C. Gordon 1922; cousins Gary ’50, Alan ’56, and W. Clark Gordon ’45; uncles David W. Gordon 1916 and Donald Gordon 1919, father-in-law and former trustee, Frank Wenner Sr. 1918, and brothers-in-law Frank Wenner Jr. ’49 and Richard Wenner ’59, all attended Wesleyan. He interviewed for admission with his future father-in-law long before he had ever met his wife, Marilyn Sue Wenner. His grandsons, Stefan Skripak ’13 and Ryan Breen ’17, also attended Wesleyan. He is survived by his beloved wife of almost 60 years, Marilyn Sue (Wenner), son David (Pamela Skripak) two grandchildren, Hallie and Braden Skripak Gordon, sister Margaret Barber, many nieces and nephews, and a large extended family.
We thank Mr. Gordon’s daughter-in-law for this information.
Elliott DeGraff ’55 passed away on Oct. 24, 2017 at the age of 84. DeGraff majored in psychology at Wesleyan. After transferring, he earned a degree in aeronautical engineering from New York University. He worked as an engineer for NASA’s unmanned spacecraft and satellite programs. A member of the United Flying Octogenarians, DeGraff was a flight instructor and a volunteer pilot for an animal rescue organization. He was also an accomplished musician who played the guitar, banjo, and mandolin. He is survived by his wife, Martha Jo, his brother, Chris, and wife Sandra, his brother, Eric, and wife Nancy, his daughter, Pamela Porter, and husband Hobart, his daughter Jill Thorpe, and five grandchildren.
We thank the family of Mr. DeGraff for this information.
Milton L. Smith ’53 passed away on Aug. 23, 2018 in Georgia. Smith majored in English and went on to earn his master’s in teaching at Wesleyan. Smith retired from his role as an executive at SUNY at Utica, where he was awarded the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service.
James D. Griffis ’53 passed away on July 6, 2018. Jim was preceded in death by his father and mother, Rev. Harold William Griffis and Evelyn Theresa Dutcher, his brothers David Griffis and John Harold Griffis and his loving wife Margaret ‘Peggy’ Hart. Jim is survived by his son James Fredrick Griffis (Susan) and his sister Nancy Evelyn Griffis. He was very proud of his grandchildren Patrick Griffis (Laura), Michael Griffis, Kevin Griffis, and Megan Griffis, and his grand daughter in law Jenna Beck. He adored his great grandchildren Kylie Griffis, Colton Griffis, Patrick Griffis, and Madelyn Jancigar-Griffis. Jim was also proud of his nieces and nephews and their families, Mark Griffis, David Griffis (Romina), John Griffis, Andrew Griffis (Ceci), Shari DiMeo (John), Kimberly Homeyer, and Tara Sherman.
Family and close friends, who essentially became part of his “family,” are what mattered most to him. He genuinely and fiercely cared for this small group of people in his life. He supported, in a wide range of ways, all those he loved through thick and thin. Jim was the backbone of his family.He also accepted everyone in that circle for what and who they were and was quick to forgive whatever shortcomings or misfortunes they experienced. He never held a grudge. He was proud of everyone’s accomplishments. He wanted everyone to get along and have a good life.
He had a great sense of humor and could laugh at other’s experiences as well as his own. His personality and presence were felt by all who came into contact with him. He loved life and those around him. He could be funny evenwhen he was grouchy. Who else could lose a tuba on a weekend away in college or have Carl Sandburg quip during class while looking out a classroom window, “I see Mr. Griffis has elected to sun himself on top of the fraternity house rather than be present for our poetry class!”? His stories were countless, and he would light up any room he entered.
He loved his sports and enjoyed seeing his family in sports. He was a four-year varsity letterman (football, basketball, track, and tennis) and was inducted into the Troy High School hall of fame. Whenever he could, he went to all of his grandson’s games.
He believed in brevity and directness when communicating. He stressed working hard and achieving one’s best, playing fair, and respecting people regardless of their social position and not taking yourself too seriously. There are many virtues and values that many of his family have inherited from him. Jim loved music. He played trumpet, baritone and an occasional tuba in Dixie land bands in college. He taught himself to play piano in the style of Jerry Lee Lewis and loved county music.
Jim graduated from Wesleyan University and had a successful career in sales in the commercial building sector, first with Kimmey Company in Troy, N.Y., Sanymetal Company in Cleveland, Ohio, and All American Company in Long Island, N.Y. His ultimate success and personal pride were establishing his own company, Gratton Building Specialties in Mentor, Ohio, before he retired.
Everyone has their own stories of Jim that will live on. He has made an indelible impact on those he loved. These memories will soften the heartache of his passing.
We thank Mr. Griffis’ son for this heartfelt obituary.
David W. Mize ’51 passed away on July 20, 2018 at the age of 90 as a result of injuries sustained in a single auto car crash. He was doing what he loved at the time of the crash, which was driving a car on beautiful back road in Vermont. The last six months of his life were very full. He attended dinner parties, read new books, had lemon cake, and spent time with family. He is survived by his oldest daughter, Betsy Currie, her husband Peter, and their sons Peter and Tim, and by his youngest daughter, Lucy Mize ’78, her husband Tim Brown, their children Thaddeus ’17 and Belle. He will be missed by many, we will celebrate his life on Sept 8th in Chelsea Vermont. Below is a link to a local paper, which includes the story his twin sister told that he talked his way into Wesleyan.
We thank the daughter of Mr. Mize for this information.
David McMillan ’51 passed away on May 11, 2018, four days after the death of his wife, Margaret. At Wesleyan, McMillan majored in economics. He had a long and influential career in Delaware banking serving as president and chief operating officer at the Bank of Delaware before his retirement. He was also the president of the YMCA of Delaware and held several high offices in the Episcopal church.
