John Ehrlich

1922 - 2017

John Ehrlich

Chicago, Illinois

John H. Ehrlich, 95, most recently of Chicago, Illinois, long-time Des Moines resident, and past professor of cello at Drake University died peacefully on Thursday, May 5, 2017, in Chicago after a brief illness. The family requests that any memorials be made to a charity of the giver's choice.

John was the husband of the late Betty Jean (Dwyer) (1925-2015). He was born on March 16, 1922 in Burlingame, Kansas to John and Idamac Ehrlich. John grew up in Topeka and began college at the University of Kansas in 1939. World War II interrupted his studies, and between 1943 and 1946, John served as a Staff Sergeant in the United States Air Force, Pacific theater, and received four medals. During that time he also served as principal cellist of the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra and recorded quartets for the Office of War Information.

After the war, John returned to KU, where he completed a Bachelor of Music degree in 1947 and received a Master of Music degree in 1950. In 1949, John moved to Des Moines where Drake University appointed him as a cello instructor in the Music Department. In the early 1950s, John studied cello with Benar Heifetz in Aspen, Colorado.

John and Betty married in June 1953. Soon afterward, the two moved to Paris, France, after John became the first musician in the United States to receive a Fulbright Scholarship. While in France, John studied with the world-renowned cellists Pablo Casals in Prades and André Navarra at the Paris Conservatoire.

After returning to Des Moines, John taught hundreds of college and pre-college students, who meant so much to him. He inspired in all of his students a love for music and the cello. He was renowned for his attention to detail, musicality, and beauty of sound. At the same time, he was a taskmaster, but his individual instruction and master classes overflowed with humor, insight, and enthusiasm. This is the great legacy he passed on to his students.

Drake named John a full professor in 1963 and later a professor emeritus, teaching cello in the Music Department for a total of 43 years, until 1992. For many years he also served as principal cellist and frequent soloist with the Peninsula Music Festival and taught summer courses at the Universities of Wisconsin and Minnesota. For 11 summers, John taught at the International Festival in Oxford, England with the world-famous violinist Kató Havas, O.B.E.

While at Drake, John collaborated with many outstanding pianists, including his wife, Betty, Kenneth Drake, George Katz, Chiu-Ling Lin, and Sonya Seibert to create scores of memorable concerts for the music-loving public. Also while at Drake, John was a founding member of the Fine Arts Trio that concertized in Des Moines and toured across the country. He also served as principal cellist of the Des Moines Symphony Orchestra from 1949 until 1995, serving under all six musical directors. As soon as he retired from Drake, John founded the Mozaiques Chamber Ensemble with good friend and colleague Gilda Biel.

To John, music was life. So much so, that even the night before his hospital admission, he attended a concert by the St. Petersburg Philharmonic at Chicago's Orchestra Hall with his dear friend, Bob Sheridan.

John was a voracious reader, and over the years many libraries and charities benefitted from the necessary culling of his collection. He also enjoyed traveling, and over the years vacationed throughout the United States, England, and Canada. Within the last year alone he took his first trips to Mexico City and Sweden.

John is survived by his three loving children, Janina (Daniel Culver) of Rock Island, Illinois, Martha (Alfons Koller) of Winnenden, Germany, and John (Ulf Henricsson) of Chicago, Illinois. His three adored grandchildren, Maike, Anika, and Piet Koller, each of whom lives in Germany, also survive John. His loving sister, Mary Urban, of Bozeman, Montana, and loving brother, Robert (Eleanor) of Custer, Washington, also survive him. John is further survived by his sister- and brother-in-law, June (Dwyer) and Gerald Jaehnel, and niece and nephew Diana and Gary Jaehnel, each of Des Moines.

The family wishes to express their love and gratitude to Patty Cashman, who assisted John and Betty for many years; she was their rock. The family also wishes to express their gratitude to the physicians, nurses, and staff at Northwestern Memorial Hospital for their excellent care and attention.