[pianotech] Harold Erwin in the Arms of Jesus

[Horace Greeley]

Dear Friends,

It is with a real sense of loss that I pass along 
the following news from Dale Irwin.

Pax Domine sit semper vobiscum.

Adonai immachem.

Peace to All.

Horace

>   Horace
>       Please feel free to send this on to whomever
>      I  wanted to share a few words with a 
> passing member of our larger community of Piano tech brethren regarding my Dad,
>      a student of William Braid White.
>      Because of Him,... I am doing what I love to do.
>      Dale Erwin
>
>  Dale Erwin RPT
>Erwins Piano Restoration inc.
>Custom rebuilt Steinways-sale/services
><http://www.erwinspiano.com/>WWW.Erwinspiano.com
>209-577-8397
>
>
>
>
>Harold Erwin.jpg
>
>
>Harold Lloyd Erwin passed over into the arms of 
>Jesus on Jan. 9th, 2012, after a short bout with 
>kidney failure.   He is preceded in death by his 
>parents, Lloyd and Hallie, and children, Leanne 
>Neudeck and Keith.  He leaves behind sons Dale 
>and Phillip, grandchildren, Mary-Michal (and 
>Stuart) Rawling, Abby, Dennis, Hallie, Jacob 
>(and Sara), Ryan, two great-grandchildren, 
>sister Phyllis Bashor, and four nieces and nephews.
>
>He had a very unique interesting life. Born in 
>1926 in Holyoke, Colorado, he grew up a country 
>boy on a cattle ranch.  In 1942 the family moved 
>to Modesto, Ca.  Harold went back to Colorado 
>Springs to finish his High School education and 
>returning to Modesto to attend Modesto Jr. 
>College.  He married Edythe Sutton in 1948.
>
>A charismatic man in his day, his love of music 
>and his beautiful tenor voice led him to seek a 
>college education in music, but before he 
>completed that task his teacher, Bob McNight, 
>his voice teacher at MJC, 
>suggested,  "Harold,  Modesto could use another 
>good piano man" and that he should consider 
>learning piano tuning and related arts.  So in 
>1950, He took that suggestion and traveled to 
>Chicago to study with the preeminent English 
>piano technician, William Braid White. Returning 
>to Modesto he became engrossed in his work as 
>well as singing in barbershop quartets & 
>directing choir at the First Presbyterian Church 
>downtown. He sang for countless weddings and 
>funerals. With Edythe as his personal 
>accompanist, his children grew up hearing him 
>rehearse the tenor solos from Handel's Messiah 
>and other great works.   He worked for all the 
>top teachers, musicians, schools and churches in 
>the area. His ear was fantastic and his passion 
>for artisanal excellence and his personal 
>integrity was well known by all who knew him. He 
>liked people and they liked him. He has made an 
>enormous contribution to the quality of music & 
>piano service in this region, I (Dale) and my sons stand on his shoulders.
>
>He introduced Yamaha pianos to Modesto in the 
>early 60's, opening "Erwins Piano" sales & 
>service in the late 60's on McHenry Ave, later 
>moving the business to Roseburg Square.  Harold 
>was associated with the venerable Richard (Dick) 
>Hamlett, another local tuner. Together they 
>taught several young men the fine art of stable, 
>musical tuning, of whom include, Wade Muncy, Dan 
>Lundell, John King, Dale Erwin and others. He 
>was a founding member of the local Piano 
>Technicians Guild. I (Dale) recall going on many 
>tuning calls with him and getting to steer the 
>car down Scenic.  Glorious days!  I could hear 
>him tune from the patrons kitchen as they 
>offered milk and cookies. Son Dale, and 
>grandsons, Dennis & Jacob Erwin continue his 
>legacy in Modesto today as "Erwin’s Piano 
>Restoration, Inc." He was very proud of all his 
>sons and all have worked in some aspect of the business.
>
>Being a country boy he loved nature and we saw 
>much of it, passionately learning to love it 
>early as we camped and fished and went on 
>excursion to the ocean.   We often visited his 
>only sibling Phyllis and family in Ben Lomond, 
>Ca.  Later he took on skin diving and motorcycle riding.   He was a fun guy!
>He loved flying, and during WW-2 he desperately 
>desired to enlist in the Air Corp, but a 
>congenital hip issue classed him as 4 F. 
>Never-the-less he and his boys learned to build 
>and fly model airplanes out of our shop on 
>Roseburg Ave. Flying became his son Keith’s passion.
>
>In his later years he lived (5 years) with his 
>daughter Leanne and Roger. The most recent years 
>he lived with son Dale and Trix.  Country life 
>and sharing the happenings of the Erwin piano 
>business brought him great joy.  His dog Curly 
>was his constant companion and he enjoyed life 
>to the fullest. He was always expressing his 
>gratitude for life and how God had blessed him.
>
>A memorial service for Harold will be held Jan 
>28, 2012, 11 am at Escalon Covenant Church.
>
>Call Dale Erwin at 209-985-0990
>  or <mailto:Erwinspiano at aol.com>Erwinspiano at aol.com
>
>



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