Charles Eble

Charles LeRoy Eble died at the University of Iowa Hospitals on February 25, 2009, after a brief illness; several long-time friends were with him when he died. He donated his body to the UI Anatomy Department, and it was his wish not to have a funeral or memorial service.
Charles Eble was born on October 28, 1915, in Hubbard, Nebraska, to George and Blanche Hill Eble. He graduated from Shelby (IA) High School in 1934. During World War II he served for four years in the Navy on the USS Wichita and spent two years in Washington, D.C. in the Intelligence Department.
Charlie, as he was known to his family and friends, earned a B.A. degree in music in 1940 from the University of Iowa. While in school he served as personal secretary to School of Music Director Philip Greeley Clapp. After World War II, Charlie did graduate work in English at the University of Iowa and taught briefly at Northwestern University. He returned to Iowa City in 1950 to purchase the community's only sheet music store. During the next several years he accompanied Professor Himie Voxman on trips to European libraries and music shops; these visits enabled Charlie to make many valuable contacts with sheet music and book publishers. Charlie's remarkable knowledge of classical music repertoire, his uncanny ability to locate hard-to-find editions, and his commitment to customer service were important ingredients in his entrepreneurial success. He built Eble Music Company into a thriving, internationally recognized business, which he owned for almost 40 years until his retirement in 1989.
As a dedicated patron of classical music and of music education, Eble provided generous support for many music organizations, including the University of Iowa School of Music, Hancher Auditorium, the Preucil School of Music, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the Cleveland Orchestra. He was also president of the Bruckner Society of America, which actively promoted the music of Anton Bruckner and Gustav Mahler.
Charlie is survived by sisters Grace Beck (Omaha, NE), Mary Owings (Ames, IA), Jessie Brees (Florence, AZ), Margaret (Peggy) Sterling (Omaha, NE), and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, brothers George and Kenneth, and sisters Bernice Thurber and Ruby Brown.