With sadness, we report the death of long-time member Nola Ahola, on May 8, 2025. She was 88 years old. 

At UUC, Nola was long involved with Covenant Groups and Women's Groups. She particularly valued serving as a mentor for UUC's Coming of Age program. Nola also took great pleasure in attending the UU Memorial Day Weekend Retreat at Seabeck Conference Center for many years.

Nola was a Pacific Northwest artist and art teacher whose career spanned six decades. She first gained recognition for her figurative art during the 60s and 70s, portraying dancers and live models in large scale brush drawings. Her later works include vivid watercolors and intricate collages, both figurative and abstract. 

Nola lived on Lopez Island from 1992–1999 and wrote a bi-weekly arts column, "Artsake" for the Islands' Weekly. Her works were exhibited at the San Juan Islands Museum of Art as recently as 2021. Examples of her art may be found at nola_ahola_art on Instagram and at Saatchi Art. 

A Celebration of Life for Nola will be held at her art studio on Saturday, June 7. Details are still being finalized; contact the church office for information.