Verheyden

Jack Clyde Verheyden passed away on June 3, 2024 after an illness of several months. A brilliant scholar, Dr. Verheyden served as the Richard Cain Professor of Theology and Ecclesiology in the Claremont School of Theology, Claremont, Calif., for 35 years, 1965-2000.

In retirement, he and his family lived in La Grange, where he continued to enjoy hiking, reading, and exploring the countryside. Jack was devoted to his family and is pre-deceased by his wife of 65 years, Sue Carroll Brugier Verheyden and his parents Clyde J. and Ruby Elizabeth Wilson Verheyden of Houston and La Grange. He is survived by his son Jack Verheyden of La Grange.

Born in Wichita, Kan., Jack grew up in Houston where he excelled in intellect and sports, playing football through high school and in Rice University, where he also excelled in track. Post-college, he served as Lieutenant in the United States Navy 1956-1958 before earning an STB degree (1961) and a PhD (1968) at Harvard University with a specialization in theology, especially nineteenth century theology and the work of Friedrich Schleiermacher.

Dr. Verheyden edited and wrote the introduction to Friedrich Schleiermacher’s Life of Jesus. He also wrote essays over his years of active scholarship. Upon his retirement, his grateful colleagues and former students wrote a festschrift in his honor: Religion and its Relevance in Post-Modernism: Essays in Honor of Jack C. Verheyden, edited by John Park and Gayle Beebe.

Jack was known most especially for his exceptional mentoring. Former students gathered with him in 2019 to express their gratitude, sharing stories of his inspiration and support of them, as well as his remarkable memory and the ways he opened vistas into 19th century theology and their own theological ideas. Jack was also famous for walking and talking with students when they were seeking answers to their most vexing questions. One of his mentees, Helene Russell, wrote after his death, “Jack was a gracious, brilliant, and uber-dependable mentor.” Thandeka described Jack as “the Great Disrupter of my life,” disrupting her assumptions about philosophy and doctoral education and awakening her to the “sharp breaks and revolutionary reversals” that occur in human lives. Jack had the unique ability to support and disrupt at the same time.

In addition, Jack was an influential leader in the Claremont School of Theology (CST) and Claremont Graduate University, Department of Philosophy of Religion and Theology (CGU, PRT). He was a frequent Chair of the Policy Committee of CST and, for many years, the Department Chair of CGU’s PRT. Jack’s steady efforts to listen, consult, and lead were especially vital during periods of transition.

Funeral Services were held at Koening-Belvill Funeral Home & Cremations, 208 W. Pearl, La Grange, at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, June 19, 2024, and burial was held on June 20, 2024, at 11 a.m. at Forest Park Westheimer Cemetery, 12800 Westheimer Road, Houston.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to a charity of one’s choice.

Family and friends can view and sign the guestbook online at www.lagrangefunerals. com.

Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Koenig-Belvill Funeral Home & Cremations in La Grange.