Senner, Robert William (1912-2006)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 2007 Jan 8 p. 9

Birth date: 1912 Mar 19

text of obituary:

ROBERT WILLIAM SENNER

Robert William Senner, 94, of Lawrence, Kan., died Dec. 17, 2006, at Lawrence Memorial Hospital. He was born March 19, 1912, to William J. and Elizabeth Graber Senner in Freeman, S.D.

He married Rachel Epp on Aug. 15, 1943, in Henderson, Neb.

He graduated from Bethel College in 1942 and received a master’s degree from Wichita State University in 1951. He did additional graduate work at San Diego State University and the University of Minnesota.

He was director of choral music at Buhler High School for 30 years. He was a member of numerous professional organizations and judged music contests extensively in Kansas and surrounding states. He sang with the Robert Shaw Chorale as part of his graduate work and later in retirement in San Diego, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Minn., Toronto, Ont., and Tallahassee, Fla. He received the Kansas Music Educator’s Association Hall of Fame Award in 1978 and the Harry Robert Wilson Award for outstanding contribution to the choral music profession in 1981.

Survivors include his wife, Rachel; two sons, John W. of Little Rock, Ark., and Stan and his wife, Pat, of Anchorage, Alaska; two daughters, Roberta Senner Hofer and her husband, Rod, of Lawrence, and Rachel Van Wingen of Washington, D.C.; a sister, May Juhnke of McPherson; and eight grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by an infant brother, Harold, a brother, Raymond, and two sisters, Kathryn Senner and Hazel Buhler.

Memorial services were held at Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home of Lawrence and later in Freeman. Inurnment was in Freeman.