In Memory of Charles “Chuck” A. Gaines (January 25, 1936- July 4, 2026)
We offer our condolences to the family and colleagues of the Rev. Charles “Chuck” A. Gaines, who died on July 4, 2026, at the age of 90.
Chuck was born on January 25, 1936, in Detroit, Michigan, to Donald A. Gaines, and Ida H. Gaines. One of his earliest memories was watching the new cars roll off the Ford assembly line. During the spring of his junior year in high school, he joined the United Congregational Church in Bridgeport, Connecticut, influenced by his stepmother, who was a member of the congregation. He quickly became active in the church’s youth group and was elected president. By his senior year, he was serving as president, demonstrating leadership that would become an important part of his life and ministry.
In 1954, Chuck graduated from Bassick High School in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He then attended Tufts University in Massachusetts, earning a Bachelor of Arts in History in 1958. During the first two years at Tufts, he encountered non-Trinitarian Unitarians and Universalists, an experience that introduced him to a tradition grounded in and shaped by freedom of belief, individual commitment, and fellowship in a shared search for meaning. He felt drawn to this tradition, and his call to ministry grew from this vision: to create and support programs that spoke to people’s spiritual and intellectual journeys; to train leaders so they could serve effectively and feel valued; and to build networks through which people could feel known, connected, and part of a wider community. At the heart of his ministry was a commitment to creating spaces where individuals could follow their own paths of spiritual growth while remaining connected through a diverse and welcoming fellowship.
Following this calling, he pursued theological education at Crane Theological School at Tufts University, receiving a Master of Divinity in 1961. In 1988, Meadville Lombard Theological School awarded him an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree.
The Rev. Dr. Gaines was ordained by the Massachusetts Universalist Convention on April 23, 1961, at the First Universalist Church of Hardwick, Massachusetts, where he began his full-time ministry. He was the last minister to be ordained as a Universalist before the merger. He served the Hardwick congregation until 1963. That year, he accepted a call from the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Milford, New Hampshire, and served until 1967. His arrival marked an important moment for the congregation; for the first time in eighteen years, the Milford congregation had its own minister. He served the congregation for four years, bringing leadership and stability to its ministry. While there, he participated in the March from Selma in 1965.
In 1967, he was called to serve as a senior minister of the First Parish in Framingham, Massachusetts. He served the Framingham congregation for seventeen years until 1984, when he felt called to explore new directions in his ministry. That year, he joined the UUA as Ministerial Settlement Director, serving from 1984 to 1990, and later as Director of Extension Ministry from 1990 to 1995.
Thereafter, Rev. Dr. Gaines served as an interim minister at the First Parish in Cohasset, MA (1995–1996), and then as a settled minister at the First Parish Church of Groton, Massachusetts (1996–2000). In Groton, he helped establish an empowered and intentional leadership team. In 1996, the Framingham congregation honored him with the title of minister emerit. In 2000, he founded Turnabout Consultants, where he continued his ministry by consulting with churches and fellowships around the world, helping them progress in their growth journeys. He retired from consulting in 2007.
In addition to his interim and parish ministry, Rev. Dr. Gaines served the wider denomination in numerous capacities. He was a board member of the Church of the Larger Fellowship in Boston, Massachusetts. He served for eleven years on the UUA Ministerial Fellowship Committee (1972–1983), including as chair from 1979 to 1983. He also served on the UUA Ministerial Education Commission from 1972 to 1974 and was a founder of the Unitarian Universalist Pastoral Counseling Service in the Boston Area. In 2018, he received the UUA Distinguished Service Award.
Rev. Dr. Gaines deeply valued the openness and vitality of Unitarian Universalism, believing that no other denomination offered the same space for spiritual and intellectual exploration. He loved ministry. Ministry was his vocation, his calling, and his life. Throughout his extensive career, he was a leader and a mentor to many congregations and individuals, both within the Unitarian Universalist movement and beyond. His commitment to ministry was expressed through his writings. His published works included: “Clarence R. Skinner: The Dark Years”, published in The Journal of the Universalist Historical Society, Volume III, in 1962, and two self-published books, Hope and Courage Along the Way, published in 1982, and View From My Window, published in 2000.
Outside of his professional life, he enjoyed jogging (which he called slogging because it was slow), watching the Red Sox with Carolyn, reading, and spending time with family, especially when a good meal was involved.
Chuck is survived by his wife, Carolyn Hawkes Gaines; his three children, Lynda Gaines, Stephen Gaines, and Susan Gaines Duncan (Jim); his half-siblings, Cindy Krusen, Peter Gaines, Tom Gaines, Melanie Anderson, and Martha Davis; six grandchildren, Quinn, Charlie, Corey, Gwen, Bennett, and Juliette; two step-grandchildren, Michael and Bill; and six great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his half-sister, Pam Fogarty; his sister, Karen Barker; and his brother, Donald Gaines.
A memorial service will be held at 2:30 p.m. on October 24 at the First Parish in Framingham, 24 Vernon St, Framingham, MA 01701.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the First Parish in Framingham, 24 Vernon St, Framingham, MA 01701, or to the Memorial Fund, Unitarian Universalist Church, 4831 E 22nd St, Tucson, AZ 85711.
Notes of condolence may be shared here.