from the Lilly Endowment. An executive there said it was ''one of the largest amounts our religion program has ever made to a single project.'' The program ended in February 2017 after a nearly 20-year run. Personal life Abernethy was married to Marie Cheremeteff Grove. He has one daughter with his first wife Jean Montgomery who died in 1980; one daughter with Grove; one stepdaughter, and three stepsons. He lived in Brunswick, Maine after many years living between Washington, D.C., and Jaffrey, New Hampshire. Abernethy and his wife were ordained members of the United Church of Christ. He died from natural causes on May 2, 2021. Awards Wilbur Awards (2009) - awarded by the Religion Communicators Council (RCC) James Parks Morton Interfaith Award (2015) Honorary Degree from Governors State University at the 46th commencement ceremony in 2017. References External links Bob Abernethy, Executive Editor and Host, Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly (biography) – PBS 1927 births 2021 deaths American television journalists Princeton School of Public and International Affairs alumni NBC News people American male journalists United Church of Christ members Assassination of John F. Kennedy Yale Divinity School alumni Religion journalists People from Brunswick, Maine