Where do you live?
I was raised in Mogadore, Ohio, and have been away for more than 30 years – Lexington, Kentucky; Mount Vernon, Ohio; Proctorville, Ohio – and we are transitioning back to Northeast Ohio, where my wife Carol and I met.

What would you like to tell us about your education?
I have a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Akron and a Master of Divinity from Lexington Theological Seminary in Kentucky. In 2020-2021, I completed a one-year chaplain residency, which included four units of clinical pastoral education (CPE) at St. Mary’s Medical Center in Huntington, West Virginia.

When did you become a chaplain at Aultman Health System?
I joined Aultman’s spiritual care team in January 2022.

At what facility do you work? What is your role?
As a staff chaplain, my time is spent caring for patients and staff at Aultman Hospital and also doing the same for a portion of my week at Aultman Woodlawn and with Aultman Hospice/Compassionate Care Center.

How did you decide to become a chaplain?
My wife had been doing chaplaincy for 10 years and was finishing her fourth unit of CPE when she encouraged me to take an extended course, as she thought I would like the CPE educator. So, after serving as a pastor for 27 years, I took my first unit of CPE training for chaplains. I enjoyed chaplaincy so much that I left my congregational position and began a one-year, full-time chaplain residency.

What do you like best about your career?
I find it a joy to “sit with patients/families/staff where they are” – that is, being present in their apprehension, fear, joy or grief – with the goal of helping them find and use their spiritual and emotional strengths for their present challenges. A bonus is that not once as a chaplain have I had a heated discussion or argument with anyone about the color of carpet.

What are some of your hobbies/interests?
I like to garden, read mystery novels, create art (2D and 3D), do home remodeling projects and travel. Cooking is a passion, and I like to prepare scratch-made meals. We rarely eat out.

I also experiment with various ethnic food traditions, making Korean kimchi, French tartiflette, Mexican posole, Jamaican cow foot soup, Thai tom kha soup and other interesting and tasty foods. You can take a trip around the world in our spice cabinet. Carol is from Louisiana, is a fantastic cook and has taught me to make yummy Cajun dishes like gumbo and jambalaya.

Tell us about your loved ones.
Carol and I met at my home church and have been married since 1991. We were not blessed with children of our own, yet we have shared our love with foster children under our care, neighbors, children in our congregations and children in our extended family. I was the oldest of seven, and Carol the youngest of three. Cancer took my father and the oldest of my sisters in 2003. Carol’s dad died in 1999. We look forward to continuing to connect/reconnect with loved ones – both friends and family – back here in Northeast Ohio.

Tell us something interesting about yourself that many of your friends may not know.
I once received a grant that tasked Carol and me with spending $30,000 in three months toward the enjoyment of art and the creation of art as a way of seeking spiritual renewal. Though we visited Paris, Rome, Venice, Florence, the French and Italian Alps, Provence, Switzerland and an island off the coast of Maine, we still fell short of spending it all (we are frugal even with other people's money). As they could not take grant money back, the foundation said we should spend the remainder on return travel to visit friends we had made on the trip.

Updated Jan. 22, 2025