Obituary: Gerald Wilbur Pence

Gerald Wilbur Pence
November 20, 1926-October 6, 2024

Born in Ashland, Oregon on November 20, 1926 to Ray and Marie Olsen Pence, Gerry grew up in Grants Pass and Medford during the depression years and WWII. As a member of the Church of the Brethren, he believed strongly in the Brethren teachings against war and the bearing of arms, and registered as a Conscientious Objector with the Medford Draft Board. This deep belief of the inhumanity of war stayed with Gerry throughout his life, and he would often talk with young men of draft age about the teachings of Jesus to “love your enemies.”

Hitch-hiking south, Gerry attended La Verne College (now University of La Verne). In 1949 he graduated with double majors in Social Sciences and Physical Education, along with a teacher’s credential. But music was his real joy. He sang a lovely baritone throughout college with a male quartet, the Melodiairs, who performed for camps, churches, and college events.

While at college, Gerry met Bernice Maurine Brandt, daughter of the Math & Physics professor and Dean of the College. Marrying in 1948, they shared a passion for music, church, family, and service. During their 73 years of marriage, they became the “go-to” couple for music at the church, as well as for community weddings and funerals. Bernice was an accomplished pianist and organist, while Gerry sang solos and directed choral ensembles at both the church and the high school.

In 1950, Gerry and Bernie accepted a 2-year position with the Brethren Service commission to direct Brethren youth in relief and reconstruction work in war-torn Germany. Soon other European youth were joining in the rebuilding and refugee work, with the Pences in charge of their community living, individual and group projects, and working with the local authorities. It was also during this time that Gerry bought two used German cameras and the excitement of both B&W and color photography began for him.

Returning to California in 1952 with a daughter, Christine, Gerry completed a Masters of Music degree from USC and began teaching Choral Music and English at Bonita High School in La Verne. Soon Nadine (Dena), Jeffrey, and Kimberly were added to the family, and they frequently took summer driving vacations or camped in the mountains or at the beach.

Gerry was also Minister of Music at the La Verne Church of the Brethren, which included conducting the Sanctuary Choir for over 17 years in many classical choral works as well as each Sunday during the worship season. He and Bernie retired from teaching in 1987.

Excursions into wilderness areas always presented Gerry with the opportunity to photograph landscapes, to which he brought a deep respect for nature and reverence for life. After retirement, he took courses at Tri-Community School of Photography and learned to process both color and B&W negatives. Setting up a darkroom at home (in the kids’ upstairs bathroom!), Gerry spent many hours perfecting his skills of developing, processing, and printing photographs. It has been his pleasure to see many of his photographs in the homes of friends and family, and he has sold them at Gift Fairs and auctions to benefit organizations such as Heifer Project, Womaen’s Caucus, Brethren-Mennonite Gay Caucus, and various other groups.

Gerry and Bernie loved traveling, camping, and RVing with friends, always with a camera at hand. He became the unofficial family photographer of many family gatherings, including the 80-plus extended Brandt family. Gardening (especially citrus trees and tomatoes), fishing, woodworking, and driving his 1965 red Mustang convertible were also passions into his later life.

Preceding him in death were Bernice Brandt Pence (1926-2021) and his brother, Clifford Lowell Pence. Survivors include: Jack & Christine Meek of Claremont; Nadine Pence of Rancho Cucamonga; Jeff & Debbie Pence of Big Bear; and Frank & Kimberly Salazar of South Pasadena. In addition, Gerry is survived by 7 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at the La Verne Church of the Brethren (2425 “E” St, La Verne, California) on October 26 at 3:00pm. Donations may be made to the La Verne Church of the Brethren in his name for Musical Events, or to Heifer Project International.

Peace Camp 2021

Peace Camp 2021, Peace Builders: Shaping our World with Creative Tools, was a weeklong experience for children in our congregation and community to learn and interact with peace building concepts. 


Daily themes included: Peace is built when we care for all bodies. Peace is built when we share a smile and our food. Peace is built when we care for the Earth. Peace is built when we create art, out of anything! 


Seventeen children and their families participated in a hybrid style Peace Camp, with Zoom activities taking place Monday through Thursday and an In-Person Peace Celebration taking place on Friday. Children received their very own Peace Camp Supply Bag, dropped on their doorstep, as well as a Peace Camp Service Project Kit. Peace Camp activities included Qi Gong, cooking peace pancakes, planting squash seeds, and the creation of a peace mandala. An original activity book was created for Peace Campers, but is available as a free resource HERE. As our service project, Peace Campers put together 55 educational supply kits for students in need, who attend Pomona Hope, a local after school program. Despite the pandemic, we were able to create a safe, well-curated Peace Camp for children, which was a beautiful thing! 

A Hate Crime Story

Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.

~Martin Luther King, Jr.

Once our church facility opens up again and you return to campus you will discover that during this time when we have moved our ministry to a virtual format, we have added security cameras to our physical plant.  In the past year we have had a couple incidents that precipitated this decision.  As members of this church family you have a right to know what has happened.

We have always had many people visit our church.  It is a beautiful building with lovely grounds.  However, this winter we saw an uptick of people coming to our campus who appeared to be scoping out the facility.  One man in particular took photos of all entrances into the sanctuary and when engaged in conversation shared his opinion that our church is part of the “Illuminati.”  We also had a rage-filled voicemail that was deemed a “hate crime” by the police.  The caller was angry about our church’s inclusion of all sexual orientations.  Then, after the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol, the California Council of Churches encouraged progressive churches who display support for racial justice on their building to have staff work remotely during the week of the presidential inauguration. We were told that this suggestion was based on credible threats.

These incidents led us to feel that cameras should be added for the safety of our congregation, staff and HeadStart children.  We thank the Property Commission for responding so quickly to make this possible.  A Security Task Team was formed and meets regularly to address safety, with a desire to not sacrifice welcome or hospitality.

Regarding the Hate Crime, we made the decision to ask that the case not be turned over to the District Attorney, but instead to ask the police to warn the caller.  The caller admitted to the Detective that he made the call.  The caller identified himself as a Christian man who was disgusted by our church’s message of welcome.  He felt it was his First Amendment Right to leave us that message.  The Detective informed him that it was actually classified as a Hate Crime.  The law enforcement officer told the man that the leadership of the La Verne Church of the Brethren had lived out our faith by warning him rather than asking for him to be prosecuted. In other words we were the ones who had continued the work and love of Jesus. The caller asked the Detective to pass on his gratitude to the La Verne Church of the Brethren for that decision.

When the Detective told me that story, I was so moved by the Detective’s understanding that we had lived out our conviction to follow Jesus.  In this time of polarization and hateful rhetoric, we want to keep our community safe from those who might mean us harm.  At the same time, we want the La Verne Church of the Brethren to be a place of faithfulness, welcome, belonging and transformation. 

Dear Church Family:

As many of you are already aware, on March 15 the CDC issued guidelines that all gatherings over 50 people should be cancelled for the next 8 weeks. Today, Governor Newsom signed an Executive Order entitled “Safer at Home” that requests we all stay home except for essential needs (https://covid19.ca.gov/stay-home-except-for-essential-needs/). We are in an unprecedented time of learning what it means to care for one another and protect our most vulnerable community members!

In accordance with these guidelines, the leadership of La Verne Church of the Brethren has made the following decisions about our life together as a church:

1. We will connect virtually for Sunday morning services.  You can tune in via our website:  https://www.lavernecob.org/sermons/

2. There are no scheduled church events: no board meetings, no commission meetings, no CONNECT! group meetings during this time. The church offices and all church facilities will be closed beginning March 23. Staff will work remotely. You will still be able to reach the church office and pastoral staff during this time at 909-593-1364.

3. We are committed to continue paying our staff, and they are working hard to identify creative ways to “be the church” together during this time. You will receive a separate letter soon from the pastoral staff outlining ways you can remain connected to one another, how you can access pastoral care, and what you can expect from online worship services and other online connections. 

4. Because we will continue to pay our staff, it is more important than ever for you to continue your financial support of your church. Many of you have asked how you can be helpful. The short answer is: keep giving! If you are used to putting cash or a check into the offering plate, please consider sending a check to the church office or pushing a button remotely instead. Go to https://www.lavernecob.org/give-2/. You do not need to have a Paypal app to do this. Your continued financial support during this difficult time is the most meaningful action you can take to show your love for our staff. The church is its people!

5. If you are 65 or older, or if you have a chronic health condition, please take special care of yourselves. Because we care about you, we cannot accept any volunteer work that would take you out of your homes. We will continue to convey ways you can connect with the church from your homes, and the letter from our pastoral staff next week will share additional ideas for how you can continue to support the work of the church and connect in meaningful ways with others from where you are.

As the designated leaders of the church for this time, we covet your prayers. In a rapidly evolving situation, these decisions are not easy, particularly as Palm Sunday, Love Feast, and Easter are so deeply meaningful to us, as is our connection to one another. But we are committed to finding new ways to “be the church” to one another and maintain our commitment to doing the work of Jesus peacefully, simply, and together.

With prayers for your health and well-being,

Zandra Wagoner, Church Moderator, and Laurie Schreiner, Church Board Chair