Yvonne Cerise Ervin

1959 - 2019

Yvonne Cerise (Schmoeller) Ervin 1959 - 2018
Tucson, AZ—Yvonne Cerise (Schmoeller) Ervin, 59, of Tucson, Arizona, formerly of Springfield, Illinois, died on December 26, 2018, in Phoenix, Arizona.
Yvonne was born Sept. 14, 1959, in Springfield, the daughter of Walter and Hazel Hall Schmoeller. She married Alan Hershowitz on June 12, 2010, in New York City. Although she spent most of her adult life in Tucson, Yvonne's heart never left Springfield.
Yvonne was a graduate of Springfield High School. She attended Springfield College in Illinois, Illinois State University, and completed a double major in journalism and music performance at the University of Arizona.
Yvonne was a jazz journalist, photographer, saxophonist, fundraiser, promoter, broadcaster, and educator. She was the first executive director of the Tucson Jazz Society, which she grew from 500 to 2,100 members to support 42 concert productions a year. She founded the Charles Mingus Hometown Jazz Festival, held each year on both sides of the border in Nogales (Arizona and Sonora, Mexico). Previously, she founded the festival Primavera: A Celebration of Women in the Arts.
As a journalist, Yvonne has interviewed more than 150 jazz greats for print and radio. Thirty of her interviews are archived at the Library of Congress. She was a jazz producer and announcer on radio, wrote jazz columns for newspapers and liner notes for major labels, and her articles were published in many local and national publications, including Hot House Magazine where she also served as editor.
Yvonne was the executive director of the Western Jazz Presenters Network, co-founded the Jazz Journalists Association, and held various positions at the American Federation of Jazz Societies, the International Association of Jazz Educators, the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, and the Arizona Dance Theatre before moving to New York, where she held major fundraising and executive positions at national nonprofit social services organizations.
Most recently upon returning to Tucson, she founded and directed the Tucson Jazz Festival. In her honor, the Tucson Jazz Music Foundation established the Yvonne Ervin Jazz Music Memorial Scholarship for Girls. She was honored with obituaries and tributes published by the Tucson Daily Star, Downbeat Magazine, and Jazz Times, among others.
She was preceded in death by her father and mother.
She is survived by her husband, Alan Hershowitz of Tucson; step-daughter, Kate Ervin of Tucson; brother, Phil (Amy) Schmoeller of State College, Pennsylvania; nephews Kyle (Madison), Christopher, and Kevin Schmoeller; and several cousins.
Visitation: Family will receive friends from 1-2 p.m. on Saturday, May 11 at Island Grove United Methodist Church, 16128 Old Jacksonville Road, New Berlin, Illinois. Memorial service will follow at 2 p.m. Interment in Woodwreath Cemetery, adjacent to the church.
Memorial contributions may be made to: Laurel United Methodist Church, 631 South Grand Avenue West, Springfield, IL 62704.