Kenneth L. Scheffel

News Death Notice

SCHEFFEL, Kenneth L. died peacefully in his Springfield, Ohio home at 1:12 a.m. on April 5, 2011 after a courageous two-year-long battle with cancer. Born November 24, 1939 in Grand Island, Nebraska, he was the son of Rose Bergholz and Lewis G. Scheffel. Dr. Scheffel earned his Bachelor of Music Education (1962) and Master of Music (1964) from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and his Doctorate of Musical Arts (1970) from the University of Michigan. His long career as a music educator started in 1961 in Nebraska, progressed through college teaching at the University of Michigan and University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and culminated with his appointment to the faculty of Wittenberg University in 1976. At Wittenberg, in addition to his teaching responsibilities, he also served as chair of the Department of Music from 1983-1995 and from 2004-2007. He was promoted to emeritus status at Wittenberg at the time of his retirement in 2007. During his tenure at Wittenberg Dr. Scheffel conducted many choral concerts, opera and musical theatrical productions, taught more than 11,000 applied voice lessons, served on numerous university committees, and chaired the Self-Study Committee for the Re-Accreditation of the University by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (1995-1997). He also chaired the preparations for the re-accreditation evaluations of Wittenberg's Department of Music by the National Association of Schools of Music in 1990 and 2000. A lyric tenor, Dr. Scheffel was not only a respected teacher, but throughout his active career he was also known as a fine recitalist and soloist in opera and oratorio performances. In addition, he was a church musician, serving locally as the director of the chancel choir at Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church for 14 years and as the cantor for the High Holy Days at Temple Sholom for nearly three decades. Among his many other professional activities, he was a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Pi Kappa Lambda music honorary, the College Music Society, the International Association for Research in Singing, American Association of University Professors, and he served as a college music curriculum and program evaluator for the National Association of Schools of Music (1992-1996 and 2004-2008). A member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing from 1972 until his death, he served in a variety of state offices, including as president of the Buckeye Chapter. Dr. Scheffel is survived by his wife of 45 years, Gwendolyn; his son, Thaddeus, of Springfield; his daughter, Jocelyn (Thomas) Ballantine, of Alexandria, VA; his granddaughters, Lillian Rose and Harriet Daisy, and his sister, Ruth Hemming, of Spring, TX. A memorial service to celebrate his life will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 1, at Christ Episcopal Church, 409 East High Street, Springfield, Ohio. The family extends heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Daljeet Singh, the nurses and staff of the Springfield Regional Cancer Center and Community Mercy Hospice. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Scheffel Endowed Fund for Music at Wittenberg University, P.O. Box 720, Springfield, OH 45501-0720 or the Christ Church Memorial Fund.