Earle H. Klock

1925 - 2017

Earle Henry Klock, 91, entered into rest on Thursday, March 9, 2017 at John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek, CA. Although diagnosed with Parkinsons Disease in 2000, Earle lived life to the fullest over the next 17 years, enjoying family and friends, telling countless jokes, and taking in any and all available experiences; he was an inspiration to all who knew him, and his smile and grace will be forever missed. Earle was born on September 18, 1925, in Syracuse, NY to Horatio Earle and Norma Buege Klock. He attended Moravia Central School in Moravia, NY and graduated in June 1943. On October 6, 1943, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and subsequently served in World War II with the U.S. Seventh Armys 45th Infantry Division (the Thunderbirds) in the European Theatre. His service included invasion of southern France on August 15, 1944, fighting north through France, and liberating cities including Grenoble. For heroic achievement in action on December 7, 1944 near Oberbronn, France whereby then Private Klock volunteered to carry wounded men across an open field as mortar and artillery fire were directed upon him, Earle was awarded the Bronze Star. He and his fellow soldiers spent most of that winter in the Vosges Mountains, breaking through in the spring to fight as far north as Nuremberg, Germany, and then on to Munich as their final objective. On April 29, 1945, Earle took part in the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp, the first of the Nazi concentration camps opened in Germany. Earle was also a recipient of the Purple Heart, together with the American Service Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Service Medal w/ Arrowhead, and the World War II Victory Medal. Following his service in the US Army, Earle attended Ithaca College where he earned Bachelors and Masters degrees in Music Education. During this time, he also began dating Nadia M. Brown, also of Moravia, NY; their first date was going to the movie Miracle on 34th Street in Ithaca, NY. Earle and Nadia married on June 22, 1951 in Moravia and settled in Ithaca, beginning a love story that celebrated a 65th wedding anniversary in June 2016. They both taught at Union Springs Central School in Union Springs, NY and at Kakiat Junior High School in Spring Valley, NY. Earle was a public school music teacher for 33 years, including serving at Kakiat as the music department chairperson, the band director, and the music director for the school musical. Earle was a talented musician, a tenor soloist who was active in church choirs and barbershop quartets, a pianist and accordion player who taught privately and who loved playing for any occasion. Also during his exceptional life, Earle was a Mason in the Sylvan Lodge No. 41 in Moravia, NY, a Boy Scout Leader in Nanuet, NY, and a bowler. He was a man of faith, being very active in the Pearl River United Methodist Church, in Pearl River, NY, and the Hampton United Methodist Church, in Hampton, NH, together with others in Moravia, Ithaca, and Orlando, FL. He will also be remembered for his wit, his jokes, his puns, his love of NASCAR and stock car races, his ability to bring people together, and his unparalleled selflessness. Earle loved his family and all the times he could be with them | supporting his childrens activities while they were growing up in Nanuet NY, vacationing summers on Owasco Lake, NY, traveling the U.S. and Canada in the motor home, and after retirement, summering in Hampton Beach, NH and wintering in Kissimmee, FL until relocating to Concord, CA in 2015. He is survived by his beloved wife Nadia, a daughter Laurie and her husband Ken Wilson of Hamilton, MA; a son Brian Klock M.D. and Helene Williams of Greentown, PA; a son Brad Klock and his wife Leigh of Clayton, CA; a daughter-in-law Deb Klock of Nanuet, NY; and seven grandchildren Sarah Klock, Matthew Wilson, Tyler Klock, Courtney Wilson, 1st Lt. Andrew Klock, U.S. Army, Dalton Klock, and Victoria Klock. A memorial service will be held in Hamilton, MA at Christ Church at 10:00am, Friday, July 28. Funeral services are at Indian Mound Cemetery in Moravia, NY at 11:00am on Saturday, August 12. For those who wish, contributions in Earle Klocks memory may be made to the Parkinson's Disease Foundation, 1359 Broadway, Suite 1509, New York, NY 10018 or to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, Donation Processing, P.O. Box 5014, Hagerstown, MD 21741-5014.