In Memory of Rev. Blaine Francis Hartford (July 26, 1929 – December 16, 2022)

We offer our condolences to the family and colleagues of the Rev. Blaine Francis Hartford, who died on December 16, 2022, at the age of 91.

Blaine was born on July 26, 1929, in Auburn, ME to Geraldine F. Kirves and Clarence Hartford. His mother later married Edward Kirves and the family moved to Connecticut. Blaine went to Woodbury High School, CT graduating in 1948. Following graduation, he served in the US Navy for four years and then worked as an electrician, substation operator, and system load dispatcher for the Connecticut Light and Power Company. 

Blaine received his Bachelor of Science in Psychology from St. Lawrence University, NY (1963) and a Master of Theology degree with a major in pastoral psychology from St. Lawrence Theological School, NY in 1965. That same year, he earned a Certificate in Religious Education also from St. Lawrence Theological School.

Rev. Hartford was ordained by All Souls UU Church, Watertown, NY on September 19, 1965, where he carried out his ministry, first as an assistant to Rev. John Wood (1964) and then as a settled minister upon Rev. Wood’s retirement (1965). During his five years of ministry at All Souls, Rev. Hartford was always a tireless and ready resource to the Board, to the staff, and to the individual members of the congregation. In 1969, he accepted a call from the Unitarian Universalist Church of Amherst in Williamsville, NY, where he would serve until 1971. After serving two churches, he began his private practice in psychotherapy and later worked as a professional human resource consultant to many secular and religious organizations, most of the latter being Unitarian Universalist.

Though Rev. Hartford left his parish ministry, he was active in the UUA and District activities continuing his deep and abiding commitment to liberal religion and Unitarian Universalism. From 1997 to 1999, he was a ministerial consultant for the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock. He helped the Shelter Rock congregation find a new vision and identify strategic goals to support that vision. Furthermore, he developed a model for the congregation’s governance and interpersonal relations and designed a framework for congregational culture change by substituting collaboration for competition. His analytical skills as a professional consultant were vital to assess and advise on matters of group process and congregational dynamics.

In community, Blaine provided his services as a trustee of the National Board of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, as president of the Planned Parenthood of Northern New York, and as an assistant chairman for the Red Cross Blood Recruitment Program. He was a member of the Sex Education Curriculum Committee for the Watertown Public School System and worked as a part-time instructor of psychology and sociology at Jefferson Community College, NY.

He served as a teacher, as a leader, and as a counselor representing the denomination and realizing his responsibility within the community. Blaine had an unparalleled ability to listen and hear people and an ability to support those in pain. In his spare time, he enjoyed reading especially non-fiction, religion and philosophy, history, archeology, and anthropology. He liked painting and sculpture, and model building and woodworking. 

Blaine is survived by his wife, Marie Gorman; daughters, Sally Kirby, Jennifer Hendry, and Deborah Williamson; stepbrother C. Robert Hartford; as well as five grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents; former spouses: Lorraine Fagerholm, Sharon Hartford, and Clarinda Hartford; brother Joshua Hartford; stepbrother Stewart Hartford; and daughter Tamara McFall Eddy.

A memorial service is being planned for the spring of 2023.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to a charity of one’s own choosing. 

Notes of condolence can be written here.