George Scherer Obituary

Hi Dad,
May 8
Missing you and my dog Sasha you would have liked her.
David my husband is not doing well. Just had a second heart replacement valve put in. That´s life I guess. Miss your piano, it always set the mood in our house.

Dear Dad,
I was thinking about you again yesterday. Do you remember that beautiful stick you gave to me after sanding and polishing it up?
It´s in my kitchen. I´m still living in Minnesota and yes, it is still cold.
I can´t believe that I´m going to be 71 years of age this year.

I meditate every day. I love nature. I live alone with my cat, Zella.

I remember that last day I saw you just before Christmas and you gifted me Mom´s cane. Thank you Dad. I miss you.

Here´s a photo of me and Lauren and her daughter Abby. They are all amazing . Lauren has a wonderful husband. They live far away.

Always, Anne

Dear Dad,
I have been remembering how you played the piano, especially the piece " Claire de Lune." You were so very talented. I am grateful that you gave mom, Marion and I the gift of music.

Say hello to mom.

Love and miss you both,
Anne

PS I am still a cat lover :-)
This is Zella.

Hi Dad,
What a year it´s been for me. I was ill for five months but as of May 2024 I am okay. My dearest Sasha, a golden retriever that we´ve had for fifteen years died yesterday so it´s been a very sad time for us. If you see Sasha say hi and tell her who you are. I haven´t been able to write this year but now I think I can.
Take care
Love Marion

Ms. Marion, there are many, many people who remembers your dad, Mr. George Scherer! Yes, even as of today, 12/24/23, I ran across a FaceBook question about him. And thank-you for posting your thoughts on him in the month of May. He was a wonderful person; one of the top persons in my life.

All is going well Dad, everyone is doing fine. Got another book coming out "Without Consent" in June. Thinking of you and hearing your music every day. Marion

It's 2021 now Dad and Covid looks like it might be tapering down, but not out, maybe not ever. I'm listening to the Los Angeles Master Chorale singing Les Chansons Des Roses and thinking of your days with the Choraliers.
I'm writing a sequel to my book on human trafficking and all is well here. Peace Dad, As always Marion

It's the year 2020 now Dad and we are in the Age of Covid, a pandemic that is reshaping all our lives. I've written another book, "The Cage...a human trafficking thriller."

A former student of yours called me last year to tell me how profoundly you affected his life. Because you encouraged him to sing as a way of correcting his stuttering problem, he became a successful entrepreneur.
Can't think of a better compliment!

As always Dad,
Marion

Well Dad another year has passed it's 2019 now and you have been gone for twelve years. I still hear your signature pieces of music played by chance on the radio or tv or even in an airport. It's as though some higher entity knows that when I need it I will hear your piano playing.

Dear Dad,
The weekend we buried you, Mother's Day weekend seems so fitting! At the end the two of you were so intertwined.
You have a great grandchild now she is one years old and her name is Abby, the child of Lauren Land, the child of your daughter Anne. I wanted her to have a lullaby, like Anne and me and Lauren have had so I chose Eric Whitacre's "The Seal Lullaby." i think you would have approved. I think that you would love her too.


As always dad,
Marion

After listening to my very OLD Choraliers Album from 1970 I googled to see if there was any information on Mr. Scherer and am saddened to read of his death. He was such an inspiration! And such a 'stickler' for perfection!! Even after almost 50 years I still remember most of my alto parts from this album that has brought back so many memories. Wonderful memories of a fantastic teacher who was meaningful in so many students lives...in this way he will live on...

Mr. Scherer...how profoundly he affected my life from 1963-1966 as a member of the Fenger Mixed Chorus and Choraliers. I sought out Mr. Scherer to escape a music class with another teacher at Fenger. I arrived on the stage the next day and was introduced to the wonder of singing in parts with a large group for the first time in my life. I had sung in our small church choir, but the thrill of the numbers, the volume, the fullness of the chorus was wonderful.
There was the direction of Mr. Scherer. It was a wonder to be a participant. He would call out parts, play the piano, have the groups sing, put the parts together, demand proper pronunciation, cutting off at the precise time, raising and lowering our volume, speeding or slowing our tempo and above all impressing on us the emotional impact of our performance on the audience. "If there is no emotional response by the listener to our performance, we should be speaking the words and not singing them. There is no point to putting the words to music if there is not a feeling in the heart as well as the mind." I remember Mr. Scherer telling us this as we sang "Weep, Oh Willow, Weep."
Rehearsal was a place of work, labor and joy. Mr. Scherer was a great coach for individuals as well as the group. The artistry of Mr. Scherer was in the direction of us in concert. He would direct with the smallest of gestures, keeping his hands near his face. It was Mr. Scherer's facial expressions which were his means of communication of how we should be singing at a particular moment. Just looking at him would tell one whether to be soft or loud, expansive or smaller, intense or light. It was a unique experience to be directed by him in concert situations.
The show tunes we did in 1965 were from "South Pacific." I was a depressed teenager. Mr. Scherer asked me to sing the solo for "Some Enchanted Evening." I did so in concerts at the various elementary school programs and at the spring concert. What that did for my self esteem and confidence cannot be measured. Mr. Scherer entered us in state competition that year. It was at York High School in Elmhurst. We received an "excellent" rating. It was a good achievement, but not a "superior" rating. A part of the competition was sight reading. Mr. Scherer taught us the skill. We were very good at it. I realize now, we were one of two "city" schools in the competition at York that year. The schools that received "superior" were suburban schools.
The next year the spring concert show tunes were from "Show Boat." Mr. Scherer had me sing "Old Man River." He changed the key in the introduction of the song because I couldn't reach the high notes in that portion of the piece. The key was raised for the whole chorus to join on the "Old Man River" portion. Again, the thrill of singing to the audience in our auditorium was amazing for me, a lifetime memory. (I noticed Janet Kudelka left a memory note in this guest book. She sang in a quartet that evening that sounded just like Peter, Paul and Mary...better!!! Janet had a wonderful, powerful alto-soprano voice.)
The Choraliers were again entered into the state competition. It was held at Thornridge High School. Mr. Scherer was concerned about our singing performance. He thought the tenors went sharp on a note they had struggled with all spring long. We nailed the sight reading portion. We received a "superior" rating. We all hugged Mr. Scherer. It was a great moment. The following Monday, Mr. and Mrs. Scherer had made "1st in State" construction paper medals for the Choraliers to wear around the school.
Our annual trips to the Indiana Dunes and my occasional talks with Mr. Scherer are treasured by me to this day.
The joy and appreciation I have had for vocal music and choral music, in particular, is almost completely because of George Scherer being a part of my life. How thankful I am.
I was able to be a part of my college's Men's Chorus and tour Europe in the summer on 1968 thanks to Mr. Scherer.
Following my college graduationn I moved to Cincinnati, Ohio were I have been a public school teacher the past 41 years. Some years ago I was in the Chicago area. I contacted Mr. Scherer and asked if I could see him. He agreed to do so. It was a joy to see him, however, the circumstances were difficult. Mrs. Scherer had died only a few weeks earlier. He was still in mourning. He was gracious to me, having me come in. He enjoyed reminiscing with me about the particular years I was in the chorus and Choraliers. He showed me his oil paintings. I particularly liked the one of the sunrise along Lake Michigan in Indiana. He would often speak of Mrs. Scherer in our hour or so. He said "She was the only human who ever truly loved me." I reminded him of two memories I had of Mrs. Scherer. One was at a church in Roseland where a small group of the Choraliers met to sing at a wedding reception of a former Mixed Chorus member (was it VanderPloeg???). We (Mr. and Mrs. Scherer and a few students) were "evaluating" a portrait of Jesus Christ in the church's hallway. Mr. Scherer thought the picture was too feminine, not manly enough for a carpenter, and not enough of a dark complexion for a Jewish man living in the Middle East. Mrs. Scherer was in agreement. It tickled Mr. Scherer that I recalled the conversation. He remembered it too. The other memory I had was of Mrs. Scherer walking in downtown Chicago on Michigan Avenue holding Mr. Scherer's arm as she walked. (Mr. Scherer had arranged for the Choraliers to sing Christmas music at the Borg-Warner building on Michigan Avenue.)
Two years later was in Chicago area again. I took Mr. Scherer out to lunch. We went to Portillos.
I treasure all these times with this great man, who did his work with passion, integrity and great skill. I know I am late in sending this remembrance. I just now am aware of his death as I searched his name on the internet.
(I would want his oldest daughter to know how proud he was of you. He spoke about your acting in "Inherit the Wind" at Illinois State. He said he cried as you took the William Jennings Bryan character's "bald" head in your hands and sympathized with him on stage. I think the line was "Oh my dear baby" or something like that. He acted out the scene for us in chorus rehearsal one day with obvious pride in the acting ability of his daughter. Just wanted you to know.)

hear you playing the piano on the radio all the time.

I am a great lover of music to this day thanks to the man
Still playing guitar and singing in my church choir.RIP my friend and mentor!

I miss you Dad. Love, Annie

Mixed chorus was always one of my favorite classes. I have wonderful memories of the programs, and often find myself singing the songs I learn so long ago. Thanks for all the wonderful memories. I was in chorus 1966-67.

Mr Scherer was a person that one never forgot. He had a very colorful personality, and was a pleasure to be around. I remember him with great fondness. I was a close friend of his daughter Marion, and spent much time at the Scherer residence. Many a time Mr Scherer played the piano, just for me! I loved to listen to him play, and was in awe of his great talent. He always included "Bumble Bee Boggie", as he knew this was my favorite piece. May the angels watch over you Mr Scherer, you will be missed, but your star will always shine! -My heart goes out to you Marion, and your entire family. May you find comfort in precious memories.

Goodbye Mr. Scherer. I don't know how to thank you for all you taught me but I at least was given a chance to try at the Fenger reunion a few years back. It was so great to see you again. Rest in peace with your dear wife. I know how much you missed her. Your grateful Choralier 63-67

Mr. Scherer + Mixed Chorus = Good Memories! I still stand when attending a Christmas concert during the Hallelujah Chorus! Just this past Christmas, I explained the reason for the audience standing to my son and his girlfriend. Thanks to Mr. S, I was able to do that.

My sympathies go out to his family.

I was a member of George Scherer's male chorus at Fenger High School in 1958 and 1959 - an experience that left a strong, positive impression on me ever since. After nearly 50 years, I still sing parts of "Stout Hearted Men," and "Blow Ye Trumpets Blow," from time to time. One day my brother Dan stopped in our rehersal room to take photo's for the Fenger Year Book. That night at dinner, he commented, "You guys sounded really good!" Mr. Scherer was a superb teacher. He expected excellence and got it. I remember how he used to "roll his eyes" at us while directing to get us to relax, and it worked. He left a wonderful legacy.

My uncle "Bob" was a terrific piano player. This fact dawned on me in 1966, at age 20, when I visited from Seattle. I learned he went to Julliard and was impressed then. Still am. I really got to know him in the early 1970's when Uncle Bob, Aunt Marge and Cousin Anne visited my folks; his brother Ike and June my mom at Lopez Island in Washington State. Then I learned he was also a terrific raconteur, a sharp tease, a music lexicon, a passionate personality and that he had a booming baritone (or was it a bass?). Researching the our genealogy, he spoke of his insights into family personalities giving us Scherer's each doses of humor, dread (did I inherit THAT?), wonder, courage and pride. I'll always love him for that. Now, at last, I'm getting to know my cousin Marion, his daughter. Thank you to all his students, for reading your remembrances warms my heart, his family's and his too.

Mr. Scherer gave me a lifelong appreciation for music and wonderful memories of my days in Chorus and Choraliers. He was a dedicated teacher who knew how to make us the best we could be and have fun doing it.
My deepest sympathy to his family.

To the family of this wonderful man. Former student of Fenger. What an impact this man has had on my life and it really did not hit me until I seen his obituary.I can remember his walk,his voice, his sage advice and his mentoring.Thank you for sharing him with all of us. God bless

when i look back on my love of music of all kinds, it happened because of my mom,dad and Mr.Scherer.. What a unique personality he had.. I still sing Hallelujah in the shower ..Thanks Mr. Scherer

Mr. Scherer's commitment to excellence made a lasting impression on me. I treasure the memories of performing in Choraliers under his direction, and I thank God for what I learned from Mr. Scherer in class and on stage.

George was an inspiration to many people. He showed all of us who were in his choruses, particular the Choraliers, what things we could achieve beyond our own expectations. He helped us all grow.

Mr. Scherer was a great music teacher and choral director. I remember my time in the Mixed Chorus and Choraliers fondly.

When I compare notes about high school with friends, I find that it is the time I spent in Mixed Chorus and Choraliers that defines those years for me. I am so grateful to have had the privilege of singing for George Scherer.

As a high school choral director, George Scherer instilled three virtues that can serve a lifetime:

1) professionalism in personal accomplishments,
2) courage to excel in demanding situations and, above all,
3) an abiding appreciation for the artistry of fine music.

What more can one ask of any instructor on any level?

In sympathy.

Fenger ‘69

I was a member of Mr. Scherer's Boys Chorus and Mixed Chorus at Fenger High School from 1958 till graduation in 1962. Mr. Scherer's demand for excellence stayed with me through my life. I valued the time spent with him and still remember how he would make us all feel at ease during performances. My heartfelt sympathy goes out to his family.

Offering our deepest condolences during this difficult time.