The following is from an email shared by Trinity UMC (Lexington).
The Trinity Church family extends Christian sympathy to the family of Rev. Dr. Harlan Beckley, who passed away [on Monday, October 20, 2025]. Please keep Harlan’s family in your thoughts and prayers, especially his wife Debby and their children Ben, Jon and Rachel. The family is planning a private graveside service, and plans to have a larger celebration of Harlan’s life at a later date.
He was a retired elder in the VAUMC, who spent most of his career as a professor at Washington & Lee, during which time he founded The Shepherd Program for the Interdisciplinary Study of Poverty and Human Capability.
The following is a tribute by Washington and Lee University
“In Memoriam: Harlan Beckley, Former Acting University President and Fletcher Otey Thomas Professor of Religion Emeritus” read more…