Dr. Meredith Handspicker

1932 - 2016

BENNINGTON - Dr. Meredith Brook "Jerry" Handspicker, 83, died Sunday, Feb. 28, 2016, at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center in Bennington.
He was born June 25, 1932, in Malden, Mass., to Louise Donley and Meredith Purdy Handspicker, He grew up in Malden and graduated from Malden High School.
He attended Bates College, where he met his first wife, Diane "Dee" West; they wed in 1955, when he was a student at Yale Divinity School. They were married 41 years until she died in 1996.
Mr. Handspicker was ordained into United Church of Christ in 1957, and in 1961, was appointed to the faculty at Andover Newton Theological School in Newton, Mass. He spent 34 years of his career as a professor of theology before retiring in 1999.
He was inspired by Martin Luther King Jr. and joined other clergy at the 1963 March on Washington. He was an outspoken advocate of civil unions in Vermont.
He married Deb Perkins in 1997.
He is survived by his wife and three children Amy Swisher, Jared Handspicker, and Nathan Handspicker; five grandchildren, four great-grandchildren; nieces and nephews.
Mr. Handspicker was predeceased by his parents, his first wife and his brother, Brian Purdy Handspicker.
A service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 12, 2016, at Second Congregational Church in Bennington.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Southern Poverty Law Center or the Bennington-Rutland Opportunity Council through the Hanson Walbridge & Shea Funeral Home, P.O. Box 957, Bennington, VT 05201.
Email condolences may be left at www.sheafuneralhomes.com.