The Rt. Rev. Thomas Ely, who served as bishop of Vermont from 2001 to 2019 and as bishop provisional of North Dakota from 2021 to 2024, died Aug. 30.
[Episcopal News Service] The Rev. Thomas C. Ely, who served as bishop of Vermont from 2001 to 2019 and as bishop provisional of North Dakota from 2021 to 2024, died Aug. 30. He was 73.
Since September 2023 he had been treated for cancer of the esophagus, according to a CaringBridge page he created.
A graduate of the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, Ely was ordained as a deacon and a priest in 1980 in the Diocese of Connecticut, where he served in a variety of ministry capacities, including as head of the diocesan youth ministry and its retreat center, before his bishop election in Vermont.
In announcing his death to the diocese, Vermont Bishop Shannon MacVean-Brown described Ely as “a champion of LGBTQ+ inclusion in the church, as well as lay leadership churchwide.” She added that the solar array that powers the diocesan office is named in honor of Ely and his wife Ann.
A history section on the diocese’s website said of him, “Bishop Gene Robinson, the church’s first openly gay bishop, said Ely had done more to advance the full inclusion of all baptized people in the life of the church than any other bishop, including himself.”
The Rev. Susan Russell, canon for engagement across difference for the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles and an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, said Ely’s legacy “includes his leadership in the work to end gun violence, his commitment to the challenging work of communion across difference and his tireless support for the LGBTQ community.”
Ely is survived by his wife Ann, daughters Jennifer and Katherine, and several grandchildren. Ann said on CaringBridge that he would be buried soon at historic Christ Church in Guilford, Vermont, in keeping with his wishes for a green burial. Planning is underway for a celebration of life service, according to the diocesan announcement.