Walter Righter obituary: Controversial Episcopal bishop dies at 87

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A free-form sculptor, John Chamberlain crafted works from masses of crushed cars and automobile sheet metal. He was 84. Full obituary (Librado Romero / Associated Press)

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A former dissident playwright, Havel was the revered first president of Czechoslovakia after it overthrew Communist rule in 1989. His slogan: “May truth and love triumph over lies and hatred.” He was 75. Full obituary (Petr David Josek / Associated Press)

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The daughter of stars Loretta Young and Clark Gable, Lewis wrote tenderly about her only meeting with Gable at age 15. Young, an unmarried, staunch Catholic, faked an adoption of Lewis, who did not learn the truth about her parentage until she was an adult. She had careers as an actress and a psychotherapist. She was 76. Full obituary (Jill Connelly / Associated Press)

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The heavyweight champ had epic bouts with Muhammad Ali. In 1971 he became the first fighter to defeat Ali, then lost two rematches. In his 37 professional fights, “Smokin’ Joe” won 32 times. But he never accepted his 1-2 record against Ali. He was 67. Full obituary

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Matty Alou won the National League batting title in 1966 while with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He and his brothers Felipe and Jesus became the only trio of brothers to play outfield together in a 1963 game. He was 72. Full obituary.

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Erratic and mercurial, the Libyan leader fancied himself a political philosopher, practiced an unorthodox, deadly diplomacy and cut an at times cartoonish figure in robes and sunglasses and surrounded by female guards. He was 69. Obituary | Full coverage of Kadafi’s death | Photos: Kadafi through the years

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The Native American activist was the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit that accused the federal government of cheating Native Americans in its management of Indian land, resulting in a record $3.4-billion settlement. She was 65. Full obituary

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Roger Williams was of the most popular instrumentalists of the mid-20th century and hit No. 1 on the pop charts in 1955 with his arpeggio-strewn “Autumn Leaves.” Between 1955 and 1972, he had 22 hit singles -- including “Born Free” -- and 38 hit albums. He was 87. Full obituary

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Robinson owned Sugar Hill Records. The label released “Rapper’s Delight” by the Sugar Hill Gang in 1979. It’s considered the first mainstream hip-hop hit. She also had a solo hit with “Pillow Talk” in 1973. She was 76. Full obituary

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He invented the first practical implantable pacemaker. The electrical engineer’s handmade device was named by the National Society of Professional Engineers in 1983 as one of the 10 greatest engineering contributions to society in the previous 50 years. He was 92. Full obituary

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The NFL Hall of Famer for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers teamed with his brothers to create a dominant defensive front and led Oklahoma to back-to-back national college championships. He was 56. (J. Meric / Getty Images)

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Lillian Mobley, a tireless South Los Angeles activist, fought to establish the King/Drew hospital and its related medical school. Above, Mobley, right, looks on as Dr. George Locke greets Rep. Maxine Waters at King/Drew in 2004. She was 81. Full obituary

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The comedy writer and producer created “Gilligan’s Island” and “The Brady Bunch. “ He also wrote the memorable theme-song lyrics for both the wacky tale of a shipwrecked “three-hour tour” and the story of the marriage between a “lovely lady” with three daughters and “a man named Brady” with three sons. Above, Schwartz in 2008 receives kisses from Florence Henderson, who played Mrs. Brady, and Dawn Wells, who played Mary Ann on “Gilligan’s Island.” He was 94. Full obituary

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The internationally renowned American artist, whose work blurred the boundaries of painting, drawing and handwritten poetry, was recognized with Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg as one of the three most important American artists to emerge in the 1950s. Above, the artist at the Louvre, where he designed and painted the ceiling of a large gallery of bronze sculptures last year. He was 83. Full obituary

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The saxophonist for Bruce Springsteen‘s E Street Band put his stamp on such Springsteen classics as “Born to Run” and “Rosalita.” He was known both for his full-throttle tenor sax work and his larger-than-life onstage persona as “the Big Man.” He was 69. Full obituary

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Pratt was a former Black Panther whose 1972 murder conviction was overturned after he spent 27 years behind bars for a crime he said he did not commit. He was 63. Full obituary

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The singer gained fame with her 1974 hit, “Poetry Man.” She received wide acclaim for her self-titled album, which showed off her multi-octave range and musical versatility. She had suffered a brain hemorrhage in January 2010. She was 60. Full obituary

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He was considered a living god by millions of Hindus. After declaring himself the reincarnation of a Hindu saint in 1940, he built a loyal following, including politicians and celebrities, despite allegations of sexual abuse. He leaves a trust worth billions of dollars. He was 84. Full obituary

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The architect incorporated aerodynamic designs into his whimsical midcentury “Googie” coffee shops, including the original Norms on La Cienega Boulevard in L.A. and Pann’s in Westchester, to attract passing motorists. He was 94. Full obituary | Photos: “Googie” architecture

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The developer of the Kendall-Jackson wine brand was a San Francisco lawyer who became a skilled wine merchant and titan of the industry. In recent years, Jackson owned winning racehorses, including Rachel Alexandra. He was 81. Full obituary

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The legendary Norwegian runner became the face of the New York City Marathon, winning the race nine times. She also set four marathon world records. She was 57. Full obituary

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The biochemist won the 1976 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for discovering the hepatitis B virus, which causes severe liver disease and cancer. He later developed the vaccine that protects against it. He was 85. Full obituary

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A prolific thinker and creator, he is credited with innovations in cable modems, interactive TV, airport metal detectors and the “packet switching” technology that helped lead to the Internet. Above, Baran receives the National Medal of Technology and Innovation from President Bush in 2008. He was 84. Full obituary

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The political reporter and Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist wrote more than four decades for the Washington Post, where he mentored countless colleagues. He appeared on “Meet the Press” some 400 times. He was 81. Full obituary

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Frank Buckles, the last American veteran of World War I, drove ambulances in France and later spent years in an internment camp after Japan’s invasion of the Philippines in WWII. He was 110. Full obituary

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The composer won five Oscars for films such as “Born Free” and “Out of Africa” and scored Bond films including “Goldfinger,” “Diamonds Are Forever” and “From Russia With Love.” His work on the Bond franchise put him in the forefront of music composers. He was 77. Full obituary

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Grannis photographs documented California surf culture of the 1960s and ‘70s. His images helped popularize and immortalize the sport -- and the life behind it -- at a crucial point in its history. “His photos captured the real thing,” wrote surfing journalist Steve Barilotti. He was 93. Full obituary (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)

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Sargent Shriver, a lawyer and Kennedy in-law, worked for JFK’s and Lyndon Johnson’s administrations. He launched social programs including the Peace Corps, Head Start and the Job Corps and led the “war on poverty.” Programs he created “still change people’s lives,” says daughter Maria Shriver. Above, with his wife Eunice in 1968. He was 95. Full obituary (Charles Harrity / Associated Press)

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By Elaine Woo, Los Angeles Times

Sept. 13, 2011 12 AM PT

Walter C. Righter, a retired Episcopal bishop of Iowa who was absolved of heresy charges after ordaining a non-celibate gay man as a deacon in 1990, died Sunday at his home outside Pittsburgh after a long illness. He was 87.

His death was confirmed by Rich Creehan, a spokesman for the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh, where Righter was ordained 60 years ago.

Righter became a lightning rod for dissent over the ordination of gays in the Episcopal Church when he was an assistant bishop in Newark, N.J., under Bishop John Spong, an outspoken supporter of ordaining lesbians and gays.

In 1990, with Spong’s approval, Righter ordained Barry Stopfel, whom he knew to be gay, as a deacon, a rank below that of priest. The next year Spong ordained Stopfel as a priest.

Church conservatives focused their outrage on Righter but did not file formal charges against him until 1995, when a five-year statute of limitations was set to expire. He was tried in 1996 by a panel of eight bishops, who, in voting 7 to 1 to dismiss the heresy charges, ruled that there was no church doctrine forbidding the ordination of gays and lesbians who are in a committed relationship.

In 1997, the church’s triennial General Convention issued an unusual apology to lesbians and gay men for “years of rejection and maltreatment by the church.” Although the church continues to struggle with issues involving the full inclusion of homosexuals, it ordained its first openly gay bishop — New Hampshire Bishop Gene Robinson — in 2003.

In a statement Monday on Righter’s death, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said: “The Episcopal Church can give thanks for the life of a faithful and prophetic servant.... His ministry will be remembered for his pastoral heart and his steadfast willingness to help the church move beyond old prejudices into new possibilities.”

Righter was born in Philadelphia on Oct. 23, 1923. After studying at Yale’s Berkeley Divinity School, he was ordained in 1951 and served in churches in Pittsburgh and New Hampshire before being elected bishop in the Diocese of Iowa in 1972.

Soon after his consecration, he cast the deciding vote at a diocesan convention on a resolution supporting the ordination of women to the priesthood. “The laity clapped and cheered,” he wrote in a 1998 memoir, “A Pilgrim’s Way,” but 15% of the clergy left the diocese in protest. The entire Episcopal Church approved the elevation of women to the priesthood in 1976.

After 16 years as Iowa’s bishop, Righter retired in 1988. The next year he became a part-time assistant bishop to Spong, who was widely considered the church’s most liberal bishop.

Righter wrote in his memoir that in ordaining a gay deacon he was not trying to make a revolutionary statement. “I was, instead, agreeing to ordain a person who had met all the tests every other person is expected to meet before ordination. In a sense, it was more than time for this ordination to occur, honestly and publicly.”

Although other maverick bishops had knowingly ordained gays, church conservatives piled on Righter. The formal charges, called a presentment, accused him of heresy for signing a statement saying he supported the ordination of non-celibate homosexuals. The presentment also said Righter had violated his ordination vows by making Stopfel a deacon.

Although Righter said he was incensed by the charges, he maintained a sense of humor. At the trial he introduced himself as “Walter Righter, the heretic.” His wife, Nancy, wore a tag that said “heretic’s wife.”

In his 2000 memoir, “Here I Stand,” Spong speculated that church conservatives singled out the married, grandfatherly Righter because they viewed him as an easy target, “but they were dead wrong. He was made of steel and became stronger the more he was abused.”

In addition to his wife, Righter is survived a brother, four children and four grandchildren.

elaine.woo@latimes.com