Rusty has been a rock in the life of this church community, sharing generously his time, talent and treasure for over 30 years. His energy and devotion were boundless. Ellie and John Newbauer mentored Rusty in all things Unity. Lisa Lambeth nicknamed Rusty “Mr. Church.”
He was our unpaid facilities manager and knew every little detail of the buildings and grounds. He worked as a board member and as a trustee. He and the initial garden team imagined the garden space when it was first being developed. Rusty transformed the white house into having space for a celebration service. When the new building was going up, he stopped by every day to check out what was happening. At one point, the men’s spaghetti sauce was cooked at Rusty’s home. He worked on the promenade and had to fuss with the fountain endlessly. When we decided to rent to Village Montessori, Rusty was all in and remained involved in its ongoing needs. When I arrived on the scene, he was here weekly and sometimes daily. He labored to have our new road sign come into manifestation. And he was the first person we called when something was amuck. You cannot imagine how often that happened!
He befriended new members, encouraged young people, our musicians and other members, offered new ideas and poured his heart and soul into columbarium plans. He was a part of and supported our activities in more ways than one can count. Rusty loved music of all kinds. He helped make the dinner/concert series we have become a regular event. He always warmly welcomed strangers or was telling people about Unity Church of Bon Air. Two weeks ago in the hospital he was sharing about Unity and had me looking for a picture of the Smartflower to show a nurse. Unity was near and dear to his heart. On rare occasions he would take a break and breathe as he was “churched out” (his words).
It was with Unity friends that Rusty made a hole-in-one in 2024. Rusty loved people and treasured family. He and Laura were married in the gazebo. His beloved Laura joined in on many of our church projects and he breathed his last breath with her at home.
We cannot put into words how deeply he will be missed. His love is in every part of this campus and most importantly in each of our hearts. His spirit, gentleness, and smile will live on in us always. We will gently love others into discovering the Divine within while sharing truth, enjoying Papa’s spaghetti, being transformed and loving outrageously and unconditionally.
We will share the date for his celebration of life when it is decided. It will be after the first of the new year. Until then, please enjoy one of his favorite Karen Taylor-Good songs below, “Get A Bigger Pan”.
With love and gratitude,
