Nan T. Somerville; aided ministry

Nan Telfer Somerville, 81, of Rosemont, who assisted her husband in his ministry as pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Center City for 30 years, died of complications from stomach cancer March 23 at Bryn Mawr Hospital.

Mrs. Somerville and her husband, the Rev. J. Ernest Somerville, came to the United States from their native Scotland in 1949 when he was appointed pastor of Central Park Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Ala.

In 1956 he became pastor of First Presbyterian in Philadelphia. Founded in 1698, the church is known as the Mother Church of Presbyterianism in America.

While raising a family in Wynnewood, Mrs. Somerville assisted at the church. For 32 years she organized the church Harvest Festival, a fund-raising event for various charities. She also started the casserole club, supplying local shelters with dinners prepared by the congregation. Mrs. Somerville served on the board and prepared meals for the People's Emergency Center in West Philadelphia and was a volunteer at Bryn Mawr Hospital.

Through her husband's ministry, she met many dignitaries, including Helen Keller, Albert Einstein, and Mother Teresa. Mrs. Somerville also met Charlie Chaplin on vacation in Scotland. She and her husband returned there every summer to visit family. In 1982 they traveled to the Holy Land and Greece to celebrate his 25th anniversary as a minister.

After her husband's death in 1986, Mrs. Somerville stayed active at First Presbyterian and was ordained a church elder in 1996.

"She was a friend and mentor to me and to Marc," said Elizabeth Schogol, whose husband, an Inquirer reporter, died in 2007. "When Marc was dying, Nan not only stayed with him but engaged me in a discussion of prayer which redirected my thinking and my faith."

Mrs. Somerville lived by the words "Nothing is too much trouble if you can help someone," said her son, Bob. She cared for many people who did not have family, he said, and was often at their side throughout their final days.

Mrs. Somerville was respectful and quiet but "never suffered cant or foolishness silently - she was marvelously Scottish to the core," Elizabeth Schogol said.

In addition to her son, Mrs. Somerville is survived by a daughter, Margaret, and four grandchildren.

A memorial service is scheduled for noon Saturday at First Presbyterian Church, 201 S. 21st St., Philadelphia 19103.

Donations may be made to the Nan Somerville Memorial Fund at the church.