10/10/22. We learned from Nancy White Paul about Ned and she also sent his obituary. When we posted the news in the class Facebook group, classmates shared some wonderful memories of the talented, gentle and funny person Ned was.
A superb violinist, Ned often occupied the concertmaster’s seat in the orchestras at both Tappan and AAHS—a position he and Sara Stubbins regularly traded back and forth. She called him “one of a kind”, with a great sense of fun. An example of that was the way Ned pulled out his fiddle at the hotel breakfast on the weekend of the 50-year reunion to serenade a group of surprised and delighted classmates. Recalling it, Bonnie Holzhauer Bean described Ned as being “like a roving minstrel”, playing Irish jigs, Bach minuets and “taking requests”, Pamela Purdy Stephens said. Bonnie added, “It was so sweet and spontaneous” and, in that way, very characteristic of Ned. Ned had a beautiful tenor voice and sang in the Choraliers with Jan Shively Pratt, also playing the role of the Prince in “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” class musical in our senior year. Following graduation, he and Barbara DeHart Eadie toured Europe as members of the Michigan Youth Chorale. After getting a music degree from the University of Kentucky, Ned spent the rest of his life in Lexington, KY, where he raised a family and was an active member of the musical community as both a singer and a string player. Ned came to our last informal summer reunion before the pandemic put those on hiatus. His sister later told us how much he loved being there and it showed that night. He will be greatly missed.
You can view Ned's obituary here.
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