
George Cairns, of
Chesterton, died on Friday, December 12, 2014, of a brain tumor diagnosed in
August of this year. He was 72 years old. George is survived by Nancy, his
wife of almost 46 years; his sister Betty Long and nieces Megan and Erin of
Cape Coral, Florida; and his adopted daughter Cher Cairns of Grand Rapids,
Minnesota.
George was born in
Sunbury, Pennsylvania; the family moved to Willingboro, New Jersey before
his senior year of high school. He earned a bachelor’s degree at Rutgers
University, Camden, and a Master’s and Ph.D. in experimental psychology from
Emory University. He later took additional course work and completed an APA-approved
internship in clinical psychology, which he practiced until moving to
Chicago in 1986. He received a Master of Divinity from Chicago Theological
Seminary (CTS) and, after ordination in 1989, became Minister of Urban
Mission at the People’s Church of Chicago. In that role, he worked with
homeless and marginally housed people and those with chronic mental illness.
He later returned to CTS to teach practical theology and prayer and direct
the Doctor of Ministry program. After he retired in 2002, he continued as
Research Professor, teaching one class a year and advising Doctor of
Ministry students. At his death, he was a member of St. John’s UNITED Church
in Chesterton and the First Unitarian Church of Hobart.
Always a brilliant
and creative thinker, George had many interests and hobbies, including
photography, the ideas of Gregory Bateson, film-making, and blues and folk
music (he was a member of two ukulele bands in northwest Indiana). He
studied and practiced meditative techniques, including Mongolian overtone
chanting and centering prayer, and was passionately involved with Native
American religious practice and contemplative spirituality in both the
Christian and Buddhist traditions. His dedication to social justice work
guided by his contemplative practice touched many lives. He served as a
volunteer chaplain teaching centering prayer at the Michigan City, Indiana
prison, where he facilitated a centering prayer group open to all who wished
to join. The fact that he suffered significant bouts of depression for most
of his life make his many accomplishments even more remarkable.
Most important,
George was loved by his family and friends for his compassion and his
commitment to others’ well-being. As a friend recently said of him, he went
out of his way for anyone he thought needed help, including complete
strangers. He was a very creative teacher whom students praise for his
commitment to their learning and his interest in them as individuals He was
greatly loved and is greatly missed.
George did not want
a traditional funeral or memorial service, preferring that his family and
friends get together for an evening of shared memories, home-made music,
conviviality, and good food and drink. Arrangements will be made for such an
evening early in the new year.
His friends and
family would like to thank his doctors and other staff at Northwestern
Memorial Hospital and Porter Regional Hospital and the staff of Addison
Pointe for the excellent care he received. We ask that, in lieu of flowers,
those who wish to honor his life contribute to St. John’s United Church,
Chesterton; First Unitarian Church, Hobart; or the American Cancer Society.
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