Rev. Dr. Phyllis Carol Roe
The Rev. Dr. Phyllis Carol Roe, 53, of Kaneohe, Hawaii, died at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City on June 30, 2001, following complications from cardiac surgery.
Phyllis Roe, Executive Director of the Samaritan Counseling Center of Hawaii, was born September 23, 1947, in Dumas, Arkansas. She was raised in Nebraska, where her father was a Methodist minister in several towns.
She graduated from Nebraska Wesleyan University in 1969, Union Theological Seminary in 1972, and Candler School of Theology, Emory University, in 1988, with a Doctor of Sacred Theology degree (now Th.D.). Dr. Roe was the first woman in the Parish Internship Program in Youngstown, PA, from 1972-1974. She also completed a year of Advanced Clinical Pastoral Education in the student internship program at Grady Hospital in Atlanta.
In 1976 Dr. Roe was ordained a minister in the Nebraska Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. She was a pastoral psychotherapist and a Fellow in the American Association of Pastoral Counselors (AAPC). Dr. Roe was Chair of the Pacific Region and on the national board of the AAPC, and has served on many significant committees and boards of the AAPC.
Dr. Roe served as Coordinator of Supervised Ministry at Candler School of Theology from 1976-1981. She was an Adjunct Professor at the Candler School of Theology. Dr. Roe was a counselor at the Georgia Association of Pastoral Counseling from 1982-1988.
Dr. Roe was married to the Rev. Dr. Michael Anderson in 1980. He was the founding Executive Director of the Samaritan Counseling Center of Hawaii, and Dr. Roe was the Associate Director. The Center was the first interfaith counseling center in Hawaii. The center offers interfaith counseling and therapy which is sensitive to all religious beliefs and traditions. It also offers educational services for clergy, congregations and individuals. On Dr. Anderson's sudden death in 1991, Dr. Roe assumed the position of Executive Director. Under her leadership the Center has expanded to include satellite centers at six sites on Oahu and the island of Hawaii.
Dr. Roe was an active member of the Rotary Club of Honolulu and Halau Hula 'O Kaho'oilina Aloha and enjoyed music, sailing, hula and meditation. She was co-editor of a 1998 book, "Reflections on Aging and Spiritual Growth."
During her most recent surgeries for repair of an aortic aneurism, hundreds of her colleagues, friends and family around the world participated in a network of electronic mail, prayer and support.
Dr. Roe is survived by her mother, Enid Roe, of Norton, Kansas, brother Ben Roe and sister-in-law Maggie, of Denver, Colorado, sister Deborah Stratmann, brother-in-law Dan, and nephew Andrew Campbell of Pacific, Missouri, aunt Carol Joyce (namesake) of Mansfield, Arkansas, godsons Kai and Koh Genung-Yamamoto of Tokyo, Japan, and a host of friends.
She was preceded in death by a sister Rebecca, her father, Rev. Joseph B. Roe, Sr., and her husband.
Memorial services for Dr. Roe will be held at 5:00 p.m., Saturday, July 14, at First United Methodist Church, 1020 S. Beretania Street. Aloha attire. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Samaritan Counseling Center of Hawaii, 1020 S. Beretania Street, Honolulu 96814.