ENNO W. ERCKLENTZ

ERCKLENTZ--Enno W., Jr., died peacefully in the presence of his immediate and loving family on January 24, 2014 after a short illness and just three days shy of his 83rd birthday. The son of Enno and Hildegarde Ercklentz, who came to this country in the 1920's, Enno was born in New York City. At the age of 10, he found himself stranded with his parents and siblings in Japan at the outbreak of WWII, and attended St. Joseph's College in Yokohama. In 1947, the family was repatriated to Germany, where, he served as a civilian in the US Army in Frankfurt, Germany. In 1950 they returned to New York City, where Enno graduated in 1951 from the Collegiate School and in 1954 with a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University. He then went on to earn a law degree from Harvard Law School in 1957. A highly regarded international corporate lawyer, Enno maintained an active legal practice up until his death. His acclaimed two-volume study entitled "Modern German Corporate Law," is still in use as a reference work. Enno served for many years as the Chairman of the Deutsche Schule in White Plains, NY. For his contributions to the school, he was awarded the Cross of the Order of Merit by the Federal Republic of Germany. A devout Catholic, he was honored to become a part of the Order of the Teutonic Knights. An exceptional human being, he was charming, urbane, a marvelous conversationalist and a true gentleman. Anyone who met Enno fell in love with his contagious smile and laughter. His kind and polite manner belied a sharp and witty intellect. His knowledge and passion for music, history, geography and travel was encyclopedic, the result of a voracious reading habit and a brilliant mind. He was and always will be remembered as someone special. Enno was a devoted father to his two lovely and loyal daughters, Cornelia Ercklentz and Stephanie Ercklentz Coleman, and a doting and proud grandfather "Opi" to Devon, Blake and Kendall Coleman, to whom he affectionately referred as his "little pups." He is survived by his daughters and grandchildren, his son-in-law, Chase Coleman, his sister Hildegarde Mahoney, his brother and sister-in-law, Alexander and Margild Ercklentz, his former wife and best friend Mai Hallingby Harrison, his sister-in-law, Eevi Truumees, as well as seven nieces and nephews. There will be a private funeral mass for the immediate family and a celebration of his life is planned for the Spring. The Family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Enno W Ercklentz, Jr. may be mailed to: the Philharmonic Symphony Society of New York, c/o New York Philharmonic, Avery Fisher Hall, 10 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023 or the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network, 4915 St. Elmo Avenue, Suite 202, Bethesda, Maryland 20814.