TODAY’S OBITS
• Lennan, Marie “Jamie”
• Callahan, Daniel James
Marie “Jamie” Lennan passed away peacefully on July 23rd at the age of 95. Jamie was pre-deceased by her beloved husband Al in 1986. She and her best friend Ruth O’Flynn from grade school through university married brothers and happily became sisters-in-law. Their lifelong friendship sustained them until Ruth’s death in 2017. Jamie lived in the family home of 60 years by herself tending mostly to her own needs. She was still mobile and sharp as a tack until the end. The quintessential warrior.
A native of Worcester, MA she was a Horace Mann scholar and earned a full scholarship to and graduated magna cum laude from Clark University. It was there that she met her husband Al, who had returned to Clark to complete his Master’s degree after serving in the Army Air Force during the war. They were married in 1947 until his death in 1986.
Deeply spiritual and committed to social concerns, she was an integral component of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania, working as a member of the Bishop’s staff . She was passionate about social justice and women’s rights, and worked tirelessly on just those programs under the auspices of four successive bishops over the course of forty years.
Jamie and her husband were co-founders of “Church Without Walls”, a non-denominational church, under the auspices of the Episcopal church. However, they welcomed all religions and celebrated Eucharist every Sunday at alternate members’ homes.
Al’s mother was British and they made several trips to England, where they met and became friends with his cousins. After his death, she travelled extensively with them. Jamie and Al’s favorite place to visit in the United States was San Francisco. On one of their more memorable trips, they flew to Canada and took a cross-country train to British Vancouver, then drove down the Pacific coast to San Francisco.
Jamie was a participant in the first Earth Day fifty years ago in Philadelphia, and encouraged family and friends to become involved. She also worked with inner-city children in the “Head Start” program, meant to give disadvantaged children the tools they needed for better education. Jamie believed in supporting charity services and, to that end, endowed Episcopal Community Services with a gift in 2012.
Jamie is survived by her three daughters Leslie (Hal), Tracey (Bill) and Hilarie; a grandson, Benjamin (Christina) and two great grandsons, Spencer and Sawyer. She also leaves behind twelve nieces and nephews.
Relatives and friends are invited to her Visitation, Saturday, July 31, 2021 1:00pm Church of the Redeemer, 145 W. Springfield Rd., Springfield, PA 19064 and to her Funeral Service 2:00pm in the Church. Burial private. In lieu of flowers, please make any in-memoriam donations to Episcopal Community Services, 225 S. 3rd St., Philadelphia 19106 or ecsphilly.org/support.
Arr O’Leary F. H. (Springfield) www.OLearyfuneral. com