Obituary Much-loved church rector Lisa dies aged 63

A north-east churchwoman, who made the long journey from San Francisco to St Ternan’s, has died at the age of 63.

The Reverend Canon Lisa Kei Eunson, rector of Banchory St Ternan’s Scottish Episcopal Church for the last 11 years, succumbed to cancer at the Glen O’Dee Hospital last weekend.

A stalwart figure in her community, she was known to all her friends and colleagues simply as “Lisa,” and worked tirelessly for her beloved congregation.

One friend yesterday praised the way she embraced the larger Banchory community where she was known for her warm demeanour by children she taught in schools and by many of the proprietors of the shops on the town’s bustling High Street.

She was also rector of Christ Church in Kindcardine O’Neil, whose ministry helped care for those in the village and on nearby estates.

As one of her final initiatives, she left her modest assets to establish the Green Shoots Trust, which will fund a family ministry post at St Ternan’s into the future.

In 2014, Ms Eunson was made canon and named the first woman to become a member of the Cathedral Chapter, at St Andrews in Aberdeen.

An American citizen, she was born in Tokyo in 1954 and came to ministry late in life, following a successful career in business.

She worked in the US trade show and convention industry until 1998, starting as “the girl at the desk” in 1977 after earning her English Literature degree at San Francisco State University.

Her scope of responsibility quickly enlarged and she finished as a senior executive in charge of 27 employees across five functions, managing trade show exhibits for major corporations in some of the largest convention venues.

A cradle Episcopalian, she returned to the church in San Francisco after the death of her mother, which led to her calling as a priest.

She was made associate rector of St Paul’s Episcopal Church in Burlingame, California.

But it was during a sabbatical offered by St Paul’s in 2005 that she visited Scotland and Shetland on a trip to learn more about her ancestry. After five years at St Paul’s, her bishop also reminded her she had a vocation to be a rector.

Having survived her first occurrence of cancer in 2006, she aspired to “live the dream”. While searching for a posting, she found an opening in Banchory and it proved an inspired move.

She said, shortly before her death earlier this month: “To find my home in Banchory has been the bliss of my final years – the chance to live in a place where you get to know people by name and care for the community within and beyond church walls and be loved as a family member.

“I have been held in the hammock of everyone’s love and prayers."

Ms Eunson’s funeral will be held at Banchory St Ternan’s tomorrow.

The Reverend Canon Lisa Kei Eunson