William A. Flewelling

William Amos Flewelling, 95, of Rowley, MA went to his rest on October 21, 2016. He will be remembered less for his various achievements than for how he lived out a humble life of dedication to his Lord and his family. He and his beloved wife, Esther Welkley Flewelling, were partners in marriage and ministry for 62 years before she died in 2004.

William was born on October 29, 1920 in Crouseville, Aroostook Co., Maine—potato farming country. He was the third of seven children in the Frederic and Avis (Crouse) Flewelling family. From early age, William and his siblings were deeply influenced by the spiritual lives of their family, neighbors, and the other devoted members of the Advent Christian Church at the village center. Father Fred was a lay minister who often rode a weekend preaching circuit around the region while Mother Avis guided the children at home. Of the siblings, William and Gerald became pastors, the two sisters married pastors, and all 7 became reliable, active members of their chosen church congregations.

William graduated from Washburn High School in 1938 with an agricultural emphasis. He and Gerald decided to pursue Bible studies at the New England School of Theology in Brookline, MA. There he met and fell in love with Esther. Once William graduated in 1942, he and his brother were both ordained to Christian ministry in the same service. Their father preached the dedication sermon. Later that summer, William and Esther were married on September 4 and soon he began his first pastorate in Exeter, NH. She was ordained a year later. During the next 14 years, the couple served congregations in Rochester, NY, Morrisville, VT, and Portland, ME, and gave birth to their three sons: Stephen Gerald, Stanley James, and Sherwin Paul.

In 1956 the family moved to Japan where William and Esther entered 11 years of missionary service. Despite struggles with language studies and cultural adjustments, their quiet, caring ways gained the respect of many Japanese neighbors and won lifelong friends. They returned to the US and pastorates in DeKalb, IL and Albuquerque, NM. In 1971 the inseparable pair both joined the support staff of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in So. Hamilton, MA. William worked in the accounting office while Esther served as an administrative secretary. They moved from Beverly to Rowley a year later. They retired together in 1987.

William and Esther kept busy in retirement, helping out wherever they knew of a need. They were longtime members of Byfield Parish Church in Georgetown, where William served as a trustee, deacon, and then elder. Their joy in a growing family and circle of friends increased their bond, as did mutual interests. They read books and prayed together daily, grew their garden, shared gallons of fresh raspberries and rhubarb with friends. Many folks in Rowley still remember them walking hand-in-hand to the post office each day. William was a clever craftsman who could build or repair useful objects with a minimum of materials.

When Esther was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, William looked after the full measure of her needs at home until her final demise a decade later. He always said it was a “privilege,” not a chore, to be her caregiver. Many kind friends supported his efforts. In his remaining years, despite his own mounting health issues, William resumed many of the church-related activities that he had curtailed. He volunteered nearly every week in the Advent Christian Church archives at Gordon-Conwell—and was on duty there two days before he died. William and Esther’s greatest hope in life, he wrote as a young man, was “that Christ may be magnified in reaching the lost through our lives.” Now they are both at rest, awaiting Christ’s return.

Besides Esther, William was predeceased by his parents and two brothers, Leo and Gerald. He is survived by four siblings (Anna Goodwin Newton and Clarissa Jordan, both of Vernon, VT, Wilmot & Ruth Flewelling of Crouseville, ME, and Erwin & Ellen Flewelling of Northport, ME), three sons and two daughters-in-law (Stephen & Joan [De Lia] Flewelling of Winter Park, FL, Stanley of Rowley, MA, and Sherwin & Jean [Cothrell] Flewelling of Auburn, WA), four grandchildren (Jacob, Jaclyn, Mary, and Anna), and six great-grandchildren.

A Memorial Service will be held at Byfield Parish Church, 132 Jackman Street, Georgetown, MA, on Saturday, November 19, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. William’s burial will take place on the previous day at the South Byfield Cemetery after a family graveside service.  In lieu of flowers, donations in William’s memory may be made to World Vision, P.O. Box 9716, Federal Way, WA  98063, or to other Christian mission efforts around the world.