Lancaster Theological Seminary remembers Paul Irion, late professor and civil rights activist | Meals + Dwelling

A former professor at Lancaster Theological Seminary, known internationally for his books and articles on death and dying, has died at the age of 98.

Paul E. Irion died on February 7th. Irion is considered an early advocate of hospice care. According to a school press release, he was known for uniting his interests in social justice, end-of-life service, and pastoral service.

“He was a seminal thinker who helped consolidate pastoral theology as the emerging discipline developed its own identity in the seminary curricula,” said Lee C. Barrett, professor of systematic theology at Lancaster Theological Seminary.

From 1959 to 1987, Irion taught at Lancaster Seminary for 28 years.

He was a passionate supporter of the civil rights movement. Irion marched with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in Washington and on the historic Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in March 1963, about to march for the vote in 1965, according to a press release. He spoke to LNP about his LancasterOnline experience in 2018.

Irion lived in Willow Valley Communities and previously in Millersville, according to his obituary.

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