Founding PPC Board Member Barbara Wheeler Dies at 79

Founding Presbyterian Publishing Corporation (PPC) board member Barbara G. Wheeler, of New York City and Granville, New York, died on October 24, 2024, at Calvary Hospital in New York City. She was 79.

Wheeler served the PPC Board of Directors in its early years, helping shape the direction of the Press for years to come. A lover of church music, she also served on the committee that developed the Glory to God hymnal.

She served as president of Auburn Seminary in New York City from 1979-2009, and in those years also established and directed Auburn’s Center for the Study of Theological Education, producing research that grounded and enlarged the understanding of theological leaders, faculty, students, and staff.

Barbara was a moving force in the fight for LGBTQ+ equality in the PC(USA). She was a founding member of the Covenant Network of Presbyterians, organized to advocate for the full inclusion of gays and lesbians in the church. At the same time, she sought out and built lasting relationships with people whose commitments on this issue differed from her own. In particular, she and Richard Mouw, then president of Fuller Seminary, traveled the country modeling mutual respect despite their differences on this issue.

She is survived by sisters Elizabeth and Katie, husband Sam, son Isaac and daughter-in-law Lynn, and grandchildren Zachary and Emily.