Remembering John Ellis

John Ellis
John Ellis

John Dale Ellis, 95, was born August 19, 1925 and was welcomed home by his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on November 22, 2020. John was born in Wilderness Park, Lincoln, Nebraska where his father was caretaker and superintendent of grounds at Epworth Methodist Park. His parents were John Hughes Ellis and Velda May (Rush) Ellis. John graduated from Lincoln High School and served in the Army during WWII. He graduated from the University of Nebraska with Bachelor and Master degrees in Music Education and played trumpet in the Cornhusker Marching Band. He was the vocal music and band teacher at schools in Minatare, Stamford, Loup City, Stromsburg, Beaver Crossing, Silver Creek and Benedict.

John sang with the Lincoln Senior Chorus and the Nebraska Christian Men’s Chorus. He also played trumpet with the Lincoln Community Band. John enjoyed playing piano for the residents at Gateway Vista.

Private Family Service. Memorials to the family for future designation. Condolences may be left at RoperandSons.com. The full obituary may be read at Legacy.com.

Remembering Sarah Groteluschen

Sarah Groteluschen, 39, of Maryville, Missouri, died Monday, November 16, 2020, at her home in Maryville.

Sarah Groteluschen
Sarah Groteluschen

Sarah was born August 22, 1981, in Columbus, Nebraska, to David and Janelle (Malasek) Groteluschen. She attended Columbus Public Schools and graduated from Columbus High School in 2000. As a youth she attended her first Cornhusker Football game and decided then and there that she wanted to play in the marching band when she grew up.

Sarah continued her education by attending the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in 2006. She continued to further her education pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from Northwest Missouri State University. Sarah was a proud member of both the Cornhusker and Bearcat marching bands while attending those universities. Sarah was an alumna of the Epsilon Omega and Kappa Delta Chapters of Kappa Kappa Psi.

Sarah started teaching music in Bethany, Missouri, area schools for several years. Her current teaching position was at West Nodaway Schools, teaching the K-12 students at Burlington Junction, Missouri.

Sarah was active in UNL’s and NWMSU’s alumni band associations. She was active in the First Christian Church in Maryville where she was a member of the choir, praise band, and senior bell choir. She was a member of the Railmen Drum and Bugle Corps. She will be remembered for her kindness, compassion for teaching, and a big heart for all those around her.

The funeral service will be held on Saturday, November 28, 2020, at St. John’s Lutheran, Shell Creek, with Rev. Dave Hall officiating. Interment will be in Calvary Cemetery. The funeral service will be broadcast live on Gass Haney Funeral Home Facebook page. Memorials may be directed to St. John’s Lutheran Church – Shell Creek, donor’s or family choice.

You can read her full obituary and service details at http://www.gasshaneyfh.com/obituary.php?obitid=10764

Remembering Robert Schuerman

June 1, 1961 – September 22, 2020

Robert Schuerman
Robert Schuerman

Robert was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, the oldest of three children of Norbert and Charlette Schuerman. The family eventually settled in Omaha. At Central High School, Robert was smart, well-liked, and a natural leader, serving as president of the band, captain of the swim team and as a school representative to Nebraska Boys State. At the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Robert played trombone in the Cornhusker Marching Band and in 1983 earned a degree in computer science. He later earned a master’s degree in political science from Regent University in Virginia. At Regent, Robert also met his wife Cheryl in the university choir. They were married in 1986 and together would raise seven children.

Robert is survived by parents, Norbert and Charlette, of Omaha; sister, Brenda of Nolensville, TN; brother, Todd and his wife, Grace, of Alfred, ME; wife, Cheryl, and their seven children: Heidi Jackson (husband Alexander) of Lynchburg, VA; Matti Boles (husband Josh) of Lake Tahoe, CA; Barrett of Lake Tahoe; Lisse Dolinger (husband Benjamin) of Silk, CO; Wendi Owens (husband Alex) of Fort Worth, TX; Lois Sophi of Alto, MI; and Derek of Greeley, CO. Robert is also survived by six grandchildren.

The family plans to hold a private memorial and funeral service. Memorials to the family can be directed to Cheryl Schuerman c/o Elisha Duddleston, 600 Upper Hembree Rd, Roswell, GA, 30076.

You can read the full obituary in the Omaha World-Herald.

Band and Alumni Apparel Store Open

https://stores.inksoft.com/cmb_apparel

The store can only remain open from September 18-25, 2020, to make best use of the resources by our vendor. This ensures we can offer the lowest price possible. There will be a second round (sometime in October) that may have some additional options.

Just a reminder that the CMB and BAA will not handle any items due to COVID, so shipping is the only option for distribution right now.

Band Song is on the back of each shirt

All purchases are between you and the vendor. This store is managed by the students. You can direct questions to Ethan Millington at millington.ethan@gmail.com. The Band Office and the Band Alumni Association is not involved in the purchasing process nor the pick-up/delivery of any merchandise you order. The BAA is not responsible for any part of your purchase.

Virtual Band Alumni Meeting

While our reunion may be postponed until 2021, we are still actively working to support the Nebraska Bands program. 

The membership registration is now open for 2020-21. This will allow you to pay your dues to continue as a current BAA member, as well as have the opportunity to donate to our funds. The Snider Fund will support not two, but THREE band members this fall! The Lentz Fund will continue to enrich the learning of band students by commissioning new works and possibly bringing in guest composers and/or conductors. Your dues go into our general fund, which covers funding for the band awards ceremony, technology for drill writing, and so much more! Here is the link: https://nebandalums.org/dues_donations/

As per our by-laws, we will be holding our annual general membership meeting for those wishing to attend on Saturday, September 19 at 11:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m., C.D.T. via zoom. The link will be sent to current members (those who have paid their dues since the last reunion). Life members who would like to attend the meeting, please email us at info@nebandalums.org to receive the link to the meeting if you do not receive it by the end of August. 

At this meeting, you will be updated on the current affairs of the BAA, you will hear a band department report from Dr. Barber, and will receive updates on our scholarship funds. We also have three board members up for re-election: Chuck Teutsch, Ranelle Maltas and Amy Pettit. All are hoping to serve again, but we will also accept new nominations.

Please consider paying annual dues https://nebandalums.org/dues_donations/
and/or contributing to one of our funds (https://go.unl.edu/sniderfund or https://go.unl.edu/lentzfund).

Again, the best way to stay connected to the BAA is by entering your email into the blog and/or following us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram (@nebandlums). 

Thank you!