Jean "Roxanne" Lanier

LANIER, Jean "Roxanne" - An extraordinary woman, gifted poet, author, spiritual teacher, philanthropist, multitalented, Jean "Roxanne" Lanier passed away on "Good Friday" March 25, 2005 at the age of 86 in Greenbrae, California. Born 1918 in Mt. Vernon, NY, daughter of Archibald and Clara Bennett, Jean Bennett graduated with a BA degree from Hunter College and in 1942 married Edwin S. Webster Jr., Senior Partner of Kidder Peabody Inc, NYC. In the 1950s she organized the institute of Direct Analysis at Temple University with her good friends Anne Morrow Lindbergh and Laurence S. Rockefeller. After the untimely death of her husband in 1957, she enrolled in Union Theological Seminary obtaining her Bachelor of Divinity Degree, having studied under Paul Tillich, Reinhold Niebuhr and Robert MacAfee Brown. In 1965 she married Sidney Lanier, an Episcopal Priest, who had developed a well known mission called American Place Theater at St. Clement's Church, NYC. During the many years of conducting workshops in Gestalt Therapy and the human potential movement in London, Paris, Amsterdam, Spain, Switzerland and USA, in the 1980s she became involved in 'The Fund for the Enhancement of the Human Spirit' founded by her long time friend, Laurence S. Rockefeller, contributing to the promotion of spiritual and humanitarian projects worldwide. When Jean "Roxanne" and Sidney were amicably divorced in the 1990s, she moved into the Tamalpais Senior Life Care Center in Greenbrae CA, where she led groups such as `The Pause' a time for spiritual reflection, and `WOW', Women of Wisdom. Jean "Roxanne" Lanier's book publications are: THE WISDOM OF BEING HUMAN, Integral Press, Clearlake, CA; THE EVOLUTION OF EVE, Interbook, NY; THE AWAKENING OF ADAM, Interbook, NY; DIAGNOSES (Poetry) University of Indiana; THE ISLANDS ARE ASKING, Skimming Stone Press and OLD (R) AGE, Skimming Stone Press, CA. She also wrote a series of articles for the `Creation Spirituality Magazine', while working with Matthew Fox, and a video was produced of a dialogue between Jean "Roxanne" and Ram Dass titled 'Conscious Aging'. In 1996 she received an honorary Master of Divinity Degree from the California Institute of Integral Studies. Jean "Roxanne" Lanier is survived by her three children, Edwin S. Webster III, Jean Webster-Doyle and Mary Webster. Her grand children's names are Clayton M. Webster, Arabella Tancred, Annie St. John, Julietta St. John, Charmian, St. John, and great grandchild Kaila St. John. Her devoted friends Pat Murphy, Linda Lowry, Lilyan Cole and many others will also miss her. A memorial service of 'scattering the ashes at sea' will be held on April 14 in San Francisco. All those who wish to attend the service are welcome to call 415 924-3608 ext 121 for more details.