Francis Alan Rath

Reverend Francis Alan Rath, pastor, counselor and friend, born July 7, 1936, in Belleville, Illinois, died on April 9, 2025, surrounded by his family, in his home of 54 years, following an extended illness. Francis was the third child, after his sisters Carolyn and Inez, of Reverend Helmut and Norma Rath. Helmut's father was also a pastor; Francis became a third generation pastor.

Francis spent his childhood in the village of New Athens, Illinois, where his father was pastor of St. John Evangelical and Reformed Church. In 1948, the family moved to Kansas City, Kansas, where Reverend Helmut assumed the pastoral responsibilities of Zion Reformed Church. At Kansas City Junior College, Francis developed his interest in music and photography. He graduated Cum Laude, from Park College in Parkville, Missouri, in 1958, with a major in English Literature. Following his graduation, he entered Eden Theological Seminary, in Webster Groves, Missouri, where he studied New Testament theology, reading in the original Greek. During his time at Eden seminary, he received numerous academic scholarships, including the Nuesch and Schultz scholarships.

In the summer of 1959, Francis served as full-time interim pastor of Hope United Church of Christ (UCC) in Cosby, Missouri. On a very hot evening of August 28, 1959, Francis and Marjorie Anne Hunt of Merriam, Kansas, were married. Francis graduated in 1962, Cum Laude, from Eden seminary.

Following graduation, Francis and Marge moved to Torrance, California, where Francis became the minister of Seaside Community Church. While at Seaside, he was a founder of the South Bay Community Counseling Service, and oversaw the church's membership growth from about 60 to over 250 congregants. Being the voice of the liberal Protestant church in coastal Los Angeles in the 1960s was a challenge that the Raths surmounted. For example, Francis and Marge were involved in promoting the Rumford Fair Housing Legislation, which prohibited discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, ancestry, and national origin, which passed the California State Legislature in 1963. The Raths also supported Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers (UFW).

In southern California, Francis and Marge learned to ski on crushed ice, spread out on a tarp on a nine hole golf course, and they both fell in love with skiing on real snow in the mountains. During their time at Seaside, Francis and Marge welcomed their four children: Jonathan Scott (in 1963), Peter Alan (in 1965), Hilary Elizabeth (in 1967), and Heather Noelle (in 1970).

In the summer of 1971, Francis accepted a call to become the Senior Minister of First Congregational Church, UCC, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he served for 28 years, retiring in the summer of 1998. During his ministry at First Congregational, the church continued to grow to over 600 members. Francis performed over 600 weddings during his time at First Congregational Church. Some of his pastoral contributions include establishing the retirement community Manzano del Sol. He also developed and taught a two-year Confirmation program for countless adolescents. Francis' inspiring sermons were legendary for their humor, wisdom and humility; when he preached, he was never "preachy." He was legendary for bringing his magic box to Easter services, where he entertained adults and children alike, and he both played guitar and sang beautifully for many services. In the 1980s, he developed a mission study tour program (called Caravans), where high school aged students from First Church worked on community service projects, expanding First Church's wider mission beyond the local church. Caravans included trips to southern New Mexico, southern California, the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, and the Deep South, such as a week-long work project of painting and restoring the house of an elderly widow in Biloxi, Mississippi, at the Biloxi Back Bay Mission.

In recognition of Francis' 25th Ordination anniversary, First Church presented Francis and Marge a surprise gift of $5,000, which allowed the Raths to backpack through nine countries in Europe in the summer of 1988. They skied the Jungfrau in Switzerland, worshipped at Westminster Abbey in London, and travelled to East Berlin, accompanied by clergy serving a church in West Berlin.

After his retirement in 1998, Francis served as interim minister for Monte Vista Christian Church and Church of the Good Sheperd in Albuquerque, as well as a small UCC church in Las Vegas, NM. He also finally had more time to pursue fly fishing, his radio controlled model airplanes, and skiing throughout New Mexico and Colorado. He was also an accomplished amateur or ham radio operator, on air first as WB5FDS; after he achieved both the "General" and "Extra" category of ham radio operators by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), his call sign became W5FAR. Francis and Marge enjoyed twenty years of travel in their RV, across most of the western states, Alaska and Canada. Francis was a true Renaissance man, in the fullest sense of the word; he read widely, including the Old and New Testament, and was also a shade tree mechanic, with several engine rebuilds to his credit.

Francis was pre-deceased by his parents, Helmut and Norma, and his two sisters, Carolyn and Inez. Survivors include his wife of almost 66 years, Marge; son Jonathan Rath and daughter-in-law Maria Szasz, son Peter Rath and daughter-in-law Jennifer Hart, daughter Hilary and son-in-law Scott Hutchinson, all of Albuquerque, New Mexico; daughter Heather and son-in-law Todd Garlick, and grandchildren Hayley and Aiden Garlick, of Peoria, Arizona; step-grandchildren Jack and Rachel in Albuquerque; nephews Michael, Gary and Kevin, and niece Stephanie Brumley, of Shawnee, Kansas, plus his beloved dog Charlie, and numerous close friends and neighbors. All are welcome to attend Francis' memorial service on Thursday April 24, 2025, at 3:00 pm, at First Presbyterian Church, 215 Locust St. NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87102.

Francis was the handsome 19 year-old fair haired preacher's kid who met the pretty young 17 year-old brunette daughter of a phone company executive at his Fraternity's Valentine Day dance in 1954. It was love at first sight . . . a love that lasted 70 years and 54 days, and a marriage of nearly 66 years. Throughout all these years there were countless scribbled notes to each other found everywhere . . . such as "YAMJF" (You Are My Joy Forever).

FRANCIS RATH

Pastor, Counselor, Friend

"This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."

ONWARD!

Francis Alan Rath

July 7, 1936-April 9, 2025