The Dr Reverend John Theodore Brothers—‘Ted’ – passed away peacefully at his home on Lake George on 26 October 2023. Cared for by his caregivers and beloved son Peter who walked with dad regularly to keep him healthy including frequent walking nine holes on the golf course at top of the world resort. Ted found peace after 95 years of a full and dynamic life.
Most knew him by his faith, his love of family, of animals, of wooden boats, and his dedication to all those less fortunate around the world. His university-wrestling career also shaped him—he was a fighter for causes of environmental justice and for peace globally. In his work with Witness for Peace, for nuclear disarmament, you could feel him crouching into his fighting stance and he could be relentless. His roots in the South, on the Chesapeake Bay, stamped him with a particular nostalgia for a faded world and a love of oysters. He loved his wife, his children, dogs, his fellowship, sailing, his books, his Portuguese colleagues, his antique boats, the Lake….
Born in 1928, Ted grew up in Ware Neck VA on the Chesapeake Bay. His early days in the Virginia country side were filled with stories of goats in the bedroom, learning to sail on the North River, adventures with his brother George, cousin George Rynick, lifelong friend A. Howe Todd, and summers on Lake St Catherine in Vermont. He graduated from Woodberry Forest School, and Lehigh University with a Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering. The Korean War claimed his talents and energy; he served as a Lieutenant in the 1st Marine Division USMC, where his engineering skills helped slow the North Koreans, and honorably discharged as Captain.
When he returned to the USA after the war, Ted sought peace and meaning in his calling to enter the ministry. He graduated from Union Theological Seminary in Richmond VA and was ordained in the Presbyterian Church (USA). On a ski vacation in Stowe, VT he met Noel Catherine Booth, the love of his life, whom he married in 1961. They went to live in Scotland where Ted earned his Doctorate in Theology and Philosophy at St. Andrews University. First son Andrew was born in 1963 there. The family moved to Portugal as evangelical workers where Ted served as dean of Seminario Evangelico de Teologia (the first Presbyterian seminary in Portugal) —and they had daughter Toby and son Peter. The family returned to New York in 1969. Ted served as minister at Christ Clarion Presbyterian Church in Pittsford, Brighton Presbyterian Church, Webster Presbyterian in Rochester, and then in the 1980’s First Congregational Church Canandaigua in Upstate New York; where he felt at home with his own parish. He retired to Matthews Co VA in 1988, then relocating to the shores of Lake George in 1989. He continued to serve occasionally as minister locally, was President of the Lake George Association, was an active member of Rotary International, and worked tirelessly for environmental justice and global cooperation.
A memorial service was held at Caldwell Presbyterian Church, Lake George, on Wednesday, November 1, 2023. Burial was held on Thursday, November 2, 2023 at Gerald B H Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery in Schuylerville with military honors.
To leave the family an online condolence, visit www.sbfuneralhome.com.
Arrangements under the care of Regan Denny Stafford Funeral Home, Queensbury, NY