Walter Erik Haedrich (1916-2022)

HAEDRICH, MASON

Posted By: Ken Wright (email)
Date: 7/2/2022 at 20:01:09

Obituary

Walter Erik Haedrich was born in Kretzshau, a small village in eastern Germany on December 15, 1916, the eighth child of a coal miner's family. As a 3-year-old, Walter picked up his brother's Christmas present harmonica and demonstrated remarkable musical abilities. At age twelve, he left home with a scholarship to attend music school. In his late teens, he landed a coveted scholarship to the Berlin Music Academy. There he was assigned to play a recital with the American piano student, Harriet Mason.

But, the second world war tore them apart. Walter was taken into active service in the German Luftwaffe, and to keep Harriet out of the work camps, Walter created concerts she could play for the troops where he was stationed. And, when that was no longer an option, a pregnancy replaced the concerts as the excuse from work camp assignments. Walter survived the war and being a prisoner of war, and Harriet survived giving birth in a hospital basement in the midst of an air-raid. Toward the end of the war, Harriet was able to evacuate with her child to the U.S. After war's end and release from prisoner of war camp, Walter eventually succeeded in making his way to the U.S. to join his wife and child in Chicago.

No flute positions were available in the Chicago orchestra, but the Chicago first chair flutist alerted Walter that the Tri-City orchestra was in need of a flutist. Walter secured that first flute placement and the family moved to the Tri-Cities.

But, the community and the Haedrich’s found a cordial fit for the Haedrich talents, in the Symphony, in churches, in Chamber Music endeavors and on WOC-TV. And, both Walter and Harriet expanded their income with home teaching studios: both flute and piano. And, Walter, for a time, worked as a salesman at Griggs Music.

The family purchased a small house in the Moline Molette community, and soon made friends in spite of understandable hesitations to welcome a German neighbor.

And, gradually opportunities expanded: WOC-TV featured Harriet and Walter in a Chamber Music series; and places as far away as Iowa City sought them out. To secure their financial life, Walter learned piano tuning and soon offered a piano tuning service that was an instant success. The Haedrich’s served as choir director and organist at the Lutheran Church near their home, and their teenage daughter sang in the choir and was confirmed there. Often in the summers, Walter took on the challenge of refurbishing all the pianos in the area's schools and colleges. In 1989, Walter's dear wife passed away. But, in the next year, Walter married Harriet's cousin Lillian from Canton, Illinois, who convinced her new husband to retire and enjoy trips to Europe, for fun and to visit Walter's family in east Germany; to U.S. Northeast destinations to visit Lillian's family there; on to Hawaii, and beyond . . .

The new couple, Walter and Lillian, bought a house in Moline and settled into a lovely neighborhood full of gracious neighbors, until 2013, when Lillian passed; and later that year, Walter was embraced at Friendship Manor in Rock Island, where he lived, happily surrounded by friends and gracious staff and good times, until his passing at 105 years old on July 1, 2022.

He will be ever so lovingly remembered by his family: his daughter Nina and her husband Doug, and Walter's grandson Ahren and his sweet wife Pascale, and all the remaining family in Germany!

Wheelan-Pressly Funeral Home and Crematory, Rock Island is in charge of arrangements and online condolences may be left at www.wheelanpressly.com.

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