Farid Alan Schintzius, a native of Buffalo, NY, died shortly after midnight on December 5, 2024. He was 76.
Alan was a family man, a carpenter, a tireless activist, and a member of Richmond Friends Meeting. He became a foundational force in Richmond, helping to establish The Camel music venue and WRIR independent radio. He was a persistent voice for his community, successfully opposing the destruction of historic properties like the Jacob House, as well as opposing the Navy Hill development, a Shockoe Bottom baseball stadium, and several casino proposals. He also dedicated his energy to saving the Richmond Community Hospital building. Known for his unwavering advocacy for the underserved and his ability to forge unlikely alliances, Alan lived with conviction, always ready to create a little "good trouble" for the sake of love, beauty, and justice.
Alan was well known in the wider Richmond community as a Quaker. He was involved in the RFM community of Young Friends, and his children grew up in meeting. He shared the Sufi Dances of Universal Peace at The Clearing at spring retreats. Alan used his construction skills to help with improvements, repairs, and maintenance at the Clearing and the meetinghouse.
If you would like your pronouns listed on your nametag, pronoun stickers are now available on the table in the entry. Also, here are a few helpful links for understanding the use of pronouns:
Bette Diebold Gilchrist, a plain-spoken Midwesterner by birth, an intellectually curious biologist by profession, and a lifelong seeker after truth, died on May 5, 2022, in Richmond, Virginia. A member of the Richmond Friends Meeting since January 20, 1992, she was admired for her kind disposition, her love of nature, and her stalwart determination in facing life’s challenges. At her memorial service, one longtime friend summed up Bette’s life with an original poem entitled, “She Persisted.”
Bette was born on June 15, 1939, in Yankton, South Dakota, the daughter of Charles Alois Diebold and Gladys Olson. She grew up in Gayville, South Dakota, pop. 278 at the 1940 census. She embraced the strong work ethic of her Norwegian ancestors and often spoke of both the challenges and joys of life in an isolated, rural community. The latter included a memory, shared in Meeting for Worship, of walking through crunching snow on a starlit night to a Christmas Eve service at her family’s local Lutheran church.
After graduating from Gayville High School, Bette attended Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where she earned a B.S. degree. Later, she received an M.S. degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder and an M.R.C. degree from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. She taught biology for many years at Chickahominy Middle School, Stonewall Jackson Middle School (now Roberto Clemente Middle School) and Patrick Henry High School, all in Hanover County, and at John Tyler Community College in Chester (now Brightpoint Community College). On a nature hike after a summer shower, Bette delighted a friend with a lecture on the reproductive characteristics of the earthworms dotting the trail.
Introduced to Quakerism by her friend and teaching colleague Laura Cribbs, Bette began regularly attending First Day services at Richmond Friends Meeting in the fall of 1990. Applying for membership, she recalled that “spirituality has been an important part of my life since I was a child.” Both prayer and Bible reading, as well as participation in church activities were important to her in adolescence, she wrote.
In the mid-1970s, Bette was introduced to the practice of meditation, which she continued throughout her life. She was drawn to eastern religions and their disciplines, including yoga, and attended an ashram in New York State. Such training, she wrote, increased her connection with the inner self or inner Light. “Naturally, I love the silent worship and the simplicity of the Friends Meeting.” Through her years of membership, Bette served on Richmond Friends Meeting’s nominating committee (including as its clerk in 1995 and 2004), the Care and Counsel Committee, the Ministry and Worship Committee, and the Adult Spiritual Education Committee. Her quiet voice and sound, practical wisdom were valued.
Bette was married on December 27, 1964 at the Lutheran Church in Gayville to Rohit Nanavati, whom she later divorced. The couple had two sons: Mark Charles Nanavati, born January 19, 1970, and Jay Rohit Nanavati, born July 13, 1974. Bette married Bruce Gilchrist, a mathematician and computer expert, on May 28, 2008. They enjoyed several trips to England, Bruce’s birthplace. After his unexpected death in May 2015, his obituary noted that he “loved, respected, and cherished Bette” and that “together they traveled, laughed, and went to the zoo.”
Bette spent her final years at the Westminster Canterbury Retirement Community in Richmond, Virginia. Despite physical challenges, she continued to display determination and persistence until her death.
Elizabeth Price, mom of Rebecca and Joshua is having bicuspid aortic valve surgery on 4/28/23. The procedure involves open heart surgery and replacing her valve with a mechanical one. Complete recovery may take up to 6 months. So, there is a need for assistance over a long period of time. Richmond Friends will be joining with Elizabeth’s family and local Ashland/Hanover friends to offer tangible support in the way of meals and rides to and from Meeting for Rebecca and Joshua. Below are links to sign up
This link provides a calendar for signing up for meals through May. It will be continually updated.
The family has a refrigerator in their garage which can be accessed with a code. This will permit Friends to bring a meal at a time convenient to them throughout the day or even a day or two in advance. Text Denna for the access code.
If you cannot provide a meal, consider restaurant vouchers for McDonald's, Dominoes, Jersey Mikes and Panera. Contact Denna if you would like assistance in getting a voucher to the family.
Consider sharing the task of bringing a meal with another RFM member/attender. Ride up together and enjoy eating and visiting shops along the railroad.
Cameron Wooddy and Maddie Dalzell would like to extend their warmest wishes for your attendance at their marriage under the care of Richmond Friends Meeting on Saturday, May 20th, 2023 at 4:30pm at The Clearing. The ceremony will be followed by a potluck dinner, games, and dancing. All Meeting community members are welcome and encouraged to attend. To RSVP and find more information, please go to https://www.theknot.com/us/maddie-dalzell-and-cameron-wooddy-may- 2023. The Marriage Committee welcomes any volunteers who would like to help with event details, particularly the reception following the ceremony. Contact Randee Humphrey (804-317-8030; randperk@gmail.com) or Annie Salter (571-246-7570; aesalter@yahoo.com) for more details.