SOFiA - Exploring Values, Meaning and Spirituality: Newsletter issue 164, Feb 2023 

Remembering Ian Crumpton

Ian Crumpton was a long-standing member of SOFiA. He emailed us in July 2021 and almost casually
told us that he had been diagnosed with Myeloma, a terminal blood cancer. 18 months later, he died
comfortably at home, aged 82 years, surrounded by wife Tricia and family. Although we knew about
the diagnosis, his death was a shock and we only found out about it when the Editor sought
permission to publish his review of Storms of Our Grandchildren. His obituary described him as
“Liberal Theologian, Philosopher, Bard, Astronomer, Musician, Artist, Environmentalist, West
Coaster, Lover of the outdoors, Our Renaissance Man.”
Ian was a key member of the Christchurch Sea of Faith group. In later years he was increasingly
concerned with environmental issues. He contributed articles and book reviews on a broad range of
topics: Jeremy Lent on The Patterning Instinct, Elisabeth Sahtouris on Earthdance and Henryk
Skolimowski on eco-philosophy.
He lived on a lifestyle block outside Christchurch and the Christchurch group was invited for social
meetings to his place, where he provided generous hospitality. Space permitted him to run a tractor
over the large vegetable garden each year before sowing the crops that were maintained by Tricia. A
grove of large pine trees provided firewood.
Ian and Tricia almost single-handedly organised the 2019 Conference in Christchurch – a remarkable
achievement. He was president of the Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand, with his own
telescope at home.
Ian was a gentle and gracious thinker with a mind that continued exploring and deepening his
convictions about the capitalist economy, the environment and the future of religion. We are sad to
lose him.

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