Gene Oberst

My thoughts and prayers to family and and friends at this difficult time. Mr. Oberst was my band director for 3 years in high school He made music a great experience for me, and all the students lives he touched over the years. He will be truly missed. God bless.

Dear Oberst Family,
I was so sorry to hear of your loss. Mr. Oberst was a great man and a huge influence in my life going into music education I credit him with alot of the musical decisions I made in my life. My thoughts and prayers are with your family.

So very sorry for the family's loss, and also to that of the "dwindling" neighborhood. I grew-up across the street from the Obersts. Mr. Oberst taught me how to make a basket. He was always freindly fun to talk with.

They don't make teachers like Mr. Oberst any more. He convinced me to be a clarinetist, not just a music student. He taught me will and staying power, which has served me well in many musical endeavors. I would say Mr. Oberst was my most influential instructor of all. God bless his memory.

Gene Oberst was a real musician and a real man in the truest sense. An excellent teacher, family man and highly talented as evidenced by his other musical ventures. I remember seeing him play with the Rockford Symphony and was amazed that my teacher was that good! (high school perspective). I appreciated his interest and attention to making me a better person and sax player in HS. It is something for which I am grateful now, even if I didn't know it at the time.
Looking at all the...

Although Mr. Oberst's passing leaves a stinging pain in the hearts of family and friends, I trust we will take joy and consolation in knowing the legacy he left. He poured his life and his talents into other people and the world is indeed a better place.

Thanks, Obie, for instilling the appreciation for music and the value of discipline in me. I promise to pass along your teachings to my children and students you have never met.

Blessings and peace to family and friends.

My deepest condolences to the Oberst family and the whole human race. A great man has joined the ranks of the angels.
Even as a high school kid, I knew that Obie was a lot more than the music director at HCHS. The lessons he taught us were as much about life as they were about intonation and embouchure. Show UP! Do your JOB! Be the best you can be. Nothing was more rewarding than the smile on his face when he thought the music sounded like it should. I am forever grateful for the lessons...

Many of us who had the opportunity to learn from Gene (Obie), particularly those of us that landed in the teaching profession, appreciated the many lessons he modeled for us about teaching and learning (and patience). Interestingly, last week, I did something I had never done, sharing with my faculty one of life’s lessons that was learned in high school band (one of the stories I could tell), and then sadly on Thursday I received the call about Obie’s passing away. What a bittersweet,...