William R. Thayer

Reverend William R. Thayer, 77, of Longmeadow, Massachusetts, died November 19, 2024. He was born August 15, 1947 in New York, NY. Known for his caring, kindness and generosity. William will be deeply missed by all who knew him. He was the son of Allen R. Thayer and Barbara F. Moulton Thayer Meltzer and is survived by his brother, Lloyd M. Thayer, of Wilmington, Delaware, and a niece and nephew, a great-niece and a great-nephew. William had a passion for theology, comparative religions and church history. He majored in philosophy and religion at Springfield College, earned a Masters in Social Work from the University of Connecticut and a Masters in Divinity from Andover Newton Theological School. He was ordained October 31, 2015. He worked in social work for 30 years in Edinburgh, Scotland, New Haven and Manchester, CT and New York City. He worked as Parish Visitor at South Congregational Church in East Hartford, which he found to be his most rewarding and meaningful work. William was also a founding member and first president of the Thayer Families Association. Inurnment took place on December 6, 2024 in the family plot at Hillside Cemetery in Monson, MA. A memorial service will be held on January 11, 2025, at 10AM at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Greater Springfield, MA (UUSGS), 245 Porter Lake Drive. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Unitarian Universalist Society (UUSGS), South Congregational Church in East Harford, CT, or St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Springfield, MA. New England Funeral & Cremation Center, 25 Mill Street, Springfield, MA has been entrusted with the arrangements. Please visit William’s memorial page at www.nefcc.net for expressions of sympathy.