ONE OF A KIND

Walt Chura, 81, remembered for his faith, wit, Simple Gifts bookshop and Emmaus House

Walt Chura, who was well known throughout the Diocese of Albany, died on Jan. 18 at the age of 81. (Photo provided)

Walt Chura was an educator, writer and retreat director, as well as a friend, brother, dad, grandfather, neighbor, Christian and troublemaker. He was a lover of books, contemplation, St. Francis of Assisi, the Shakers, Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton.

Chura — who died on Jan. 18 at the age of 81 at Glenterra Assisted Living in Glendale, Calif., surrounded by his loving family – touched so many lives in the Diocese of Albany with his wit, prayerfulness, compassion and generosity.

He truly was one of a kind.

“I had never met anyone like him and I haven’t met anyone like him since,” said Father Robert Longobucco, Vicar General for the Diocese of Albany, who met Chura when he was a student at SUNY Albany. “I think his enthusiasm for faith, for the truth and the people that he loved was unmatched. He lived his life seriously and he carried himself lightly.”

Fred Boehrer, who worked at the famed Simple Gifts bookshop in Albany that Chura helped start, said he was a man of many facets.

“Walt was a very extroverted and engaging person. He had a terrific sense of humor. He loved to tell jokes and appreciated puns as well, especially bad puns that would get a response from people,” Boehrer said. “He was also very prayerful. He really enjoyed Liturgy of the Hours, silent meditation and he was really drawn to monasticism as a practice as well. He really enjoyed moments of silence and, interestingly enough, Walt was also a talkative and chatty person. 

“He loved to engage in conversations with people. He loved to meet new people, introduce people to each other. He loved to wrestle with theological questions and raise questions about what is the right thing to do in terms of thinking about how to be people of faith who are also people of justice. He was very chatty, very talkative and at the same time, really enjoyed moments of deep silence.”

It was at Simple Gifts, which was open from 1976-87, where many of these conversations took place. Boehrer said that Chura wanted to open a Catholic Worker House but didn’t have the money to buy a house, so he decided to open a bookshop and use the profits for a Catholic Worker House. Boehrer said Simple Gifts was not your typical bookshop. 

“You could learn more about Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker and, as Christians, how to embrace nonviolence, simple living as well as serving people who are vulnerable and living alongside them,” Boehrer said.

Father Longobucco added that Chura “introduced (him and his friends) to the Catholic Worker (at the bookstore), which we had known very little about and he did it in such a way that conveyed joy and hope and sacrifice. I don’t think I have ever heard anything more attractive on how to live your faith than that.”

There was also a room in the back of the store, so that if someone had too much to drink, they could sleep it off.

“The first thing I learned when I worked at Simple Gifts was how to make coffee and we always offered a mug of coffee to people when they would come into the store,” Boehrer said. “Once a month Walt would bring in a crockpot of soup that he made and we would share that for free for anyone that came into the bookshop. It was a very different type of bookstore. This was not a chain bookshop. It was very much a place for people to form community with each other.”

Along with Simple Gifts, Chura was instrumental in establishing — with Boehrer, Diana Conroy, who would later become Boehrer’s wife, and Father Bob — Emmaus House in Albany, a Catholic Worker House of Hospitality.

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Chura — who was born in Troy on April 17, 1944, and lived for many years in the Albany area — was a lifelong learner, holding a bachelor’s in English from Siena College (1966), where he became a member of the Franciscan Third Order; a master’s in English from Loyola University in Chicago; and a master’s in Theology and Ministry from St. Bernard’s School of Theology and Ministry in Rochester. He was a faculty member at Siena, The College of Saint Rose and Mercy High School. He frequently presented at the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany educational events (Spring Enrichment, Autumn Parish Convening, Faith Formation Program, etc.) and was a regular contributor to The Evangelist with his column on ecumenism.

Chura’s appreciation and emphasis on ecumenism was somewhat groundbreaking 50 years ago.

“Going back to the 1970s, Walt was committed to ecumenism and to interfaith dialogue in a way that wasn’t really part of mainstream life for many Catholics and Christians,” Boehrer said. “Walt really helped break down obstacles and barriers so that Catholics would engage with other Christians and people of other faiths.”

Chura also was instrumental in establishing the Capital Region (New York) Chapter of the International Thomas Merton Society (ITMS), where as director he led seminars on the spirituality and social justice teachings of Merton and was a retreat facilitator at Pyramid Life Center (“Merton in the Mountains”) for 13 years. He was also chair of the Retreat Committee of the International Thomas Merton Society.

“I think Merton’s embrace of silence and his embrace of deep reflection about his own daily life and daily practice, I think that was something that Walt was drawn to,” Boehrer said. “Thinking about how to live a holy life and be a follower of Jesus, how to be a disciple in our day and age and really thinking that way. Thinking through the theological lens and reflecting on his daily life is something that he really enjoyed.”

Chura was predeceased by his beloved wife of 53 years, Elizabeth Jane DePalma Chura, and their beloved daughter, Kimberly Finn Chura. He is survived by two brothers, David A. Chura of Leeds, Mass., and Dennis J. Chura of Watervliet. In the last years of his life, Chura lived close to his two sons and their wives, Jeremy Chura and Reena Vasquez Chura, and David Z. Chura and Kristy Vinatieri Chura, all of Monrovia, Calif. Chura had two granddaughters who were the delights of his life: Joy Elizabeth Chura and Everly Jane Chura. A Funeral Mass was held on Jan. 30 at St. Mary of the Assumption Church in Waterford with Deacon Ed Solomon officiating, and interment followed at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Waterford.

When Boehrer was nearly finished talking about Chura, he was asked if he wanted to add anything more about his life. After talking about his commitment to ecumenism, he said there was one thing left to add. 

“Walt was terrible with directions and had a terrible sense of time, so Walt was frequently late,” Boehrer said. “What usually happened was, if we were having a gathering, whether it was a potluck dinner or a Mass, or he was giving a workshop, he would inevitably show up 20 minutes or a half-hour late and when he would enter the room, he would say, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, the late Walt Chura’ and then we would laugh. 

“And he would say that is what they are going to say when I die, ‘Ladies and gentleman, the late Walt Chura.’ I’m thinking as he enters the pearly gates of heaven, some angels are announcing, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, the late Walt Chura.’”

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Memorial contributions in Chura’s memory can be made to the Albany Catholic Worker House, 45 Trinity Place, Albany, N.Y., 12202 or by using this link: www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=3KJPQC3MF9SGU. The Albany Catholic Worker community is planning to continue celebrating Chura’s life with a potluck dinner, Mass and sharing stories about Walt. For more information about this future gathering, email: [email protected].