Rev. Dr. Thomas Jarl Sheppard MIKELSON

MICKELSON, SHEPPARD, CHASE, DECHOUDENS, WICKELGREN, DUFFY, SCHULDT, LADMAN, PAUL, LINDEMEYER

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 2/10/2024 at 13:06:43

January 31, 1936 ---- April 17, 2020

Rev. Dr. Thomas Jarl Sheppard Mikelson, Minister Emeritus, First Parish in Cambridge, 84, of Belmont, died April 17, 2020. He is survived by his spouse, Patricia Sheppard, of Belmont; son, Dana Mikelson, and his partner, Michael Chase, of Washington, DC; son, Joel Mikelson, and his spouse, Frances DeChoudens, of Loxahatchee, FL; daughter, Kelly Mikelson, and her spouse, Abraham Wickelgren, their children, Maya Mikelson, and Justin Wickelgren, of Austin, TX; and daughter, Arwen Duffy, and her spouse, Sean Duffy, and their children, Jack Duffy and James Duffy, of Valencia, CA. He is preceded in death by his mother, Helen (Henry) Mikelson and Clarence Harvey Mikelson.

Thomas Mikelson was born in Clarion, Iowa, and attended the local schools. He graduated from Cornell College, majoring in Philosophy. He completed his Bachelor of Divinity and Master of Theology degree in Hebrew Wisdom Literature at the University of Chicago.

While he was at the University of Chicago, he answered the call to Seminarians in the United States by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to hold a round the clock 1936 - 2020 Prayer Vigil in Washington, D.C. until passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He received his Doctor of Theology degree from Harvard Divinity School with a thesis on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He has taught at Cornell College, the University of Iowa, and Harvard Divinity School.

He was ordained a Unitarian Universalist Minister in 1971 and served the Unitarian Universalist Society of Iowa City from 1971 to 1983.

He was an Interim Minister at First Parish Brookline; First Parish Dedham; and, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Saratoga Springs. He was Senior Minister at First Parish Cambridge from 1989 to 2006.

After retirement he moved to North Adams, where he lived for a decade until failing health led him to move back to the Cambridge area.

He and his wife arrived not knowing a single person and found a vibrant community, especially among their "back door neighbors," Steve and Elinor Long; Betty Saulnier; Bernie, Chris and Ryan Baran; Cindy and Wayne King; Carol and Gene Robare; Becky and Steve Cyr; Tim and Joanna Sunn. He attended St. John's Episcopal Church in Williamstown, where, after a lifetime of being a minister, he was ministered to by the Rev. Peter Elvin.

He was a gifted athlete in football, high hurdles, shot put, discus, wrestling and basketball. He had a fine tenor voice and wrote hymns. His best known is, "Wake Now My Senses."

He was a photographer and showed his work at the Stebbins Gallery in Cambridge, the MCLA Gallery 51 and the Eclipse Mill Gallery in North Adams and was part of a group show at the Griffin Museum-Photography in Winchester.

A Memorial Service will be scheduled as circumstances allow at First Parish Cambridge. Burial will be private. Arrangements are being made by Brown & Hickey Funeral Home, Belmont. In lieu of flowers, kindly make any contributions to: The Minister's Discretionary Fund, First Parish Cambridge, 3 Church St, Cambridge, MA 02138.

Berkshire Eagle --- Pittsfield, MA
May 10, 2020

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The Rev. Dr. Thomas Jarl Sheppard Mikelson, Minister Emeritus, First Parish in Cambridge, 84, of Belmont, died April 17, 2020. He is survived by his spouse, Patricia Sheppard, of Belmont; son, Dana Mikelson, and his partner, Michael Chase, of Washington, DC; son, Joel Mikelson, and his spouse, Frances DeChoudens, of Loxahatchee, FL; daughter, Kelly Mikelson, and her spouse, Abraham Wickelgren, their children, Maya Mikelson, and Justin Wickelgren, of Austin, TX; and, daughter, Arwen Duffy, and her spouse, Sean Duffy, and their children, Jack Duffy and James Duffy, of Valencia, CA. He is preceded in death by his mother, Helen (Henry) Mikelson and Clarence Harvey Mikelson.

Thomas Mikelson was born in Clarion, IA, and attended the local schools. Four of his classmates from middle and high schools remained life long friends, who met, annually, until 2018: Rev. Dr. David Schuldt, of Iowa City, IA (who passed away in May 2019); Dr. Jerry Ladman, of Worthington, OH; Richard Paul of Oswego, IL; and Robert Lindemeyer, of Ames, IA.

He graduated from Cornell College, majoring in Philosophy. He completed his Bachelor of Divinity and Master of Theology degree in Hebrew Wisdom Literature at University of Chicago.

While he was at the University of Chicago, he answered the call to Seminarians in the United States by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to hold a round the clock Prayer Vigil in Washington, D.C. until passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He received his Doctor of Theology degree from Harvard Divinity School with a thesis on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He has taught at Cornell College, the University of Iowa, and Harvard Divinity School.

He was ordained a Unitarian Universalist Minister in 1971 and served the Unitarian Universalist Society of Iowa City from 1971 to 1983. He was an Interim Minister at First Parish Brookline; First Parish Dedham; and, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Saratoga Springs. He was Senior Minister at First Parish Cambridge from 1989 to 2006.

A Memorial Service will be scheduled as circumstances allow at First Parish Cambridge. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, kindly make any contributions to: The Minister’s Discretionary Fund, First Parish Cambridge, 3 Church St, Cambridge, MA 02138.