Obituary for Christopher Walter Huebner
On November 2, 2019, Christopher Walter Huebner, age 61, died from heart conditions while at his home in Rochester, NY.
Survived by his father, Walter Huebner; his brother Jim (Lizz) and his sister, Linda (Dave); his nieces Jessica, Kristi, Stephanie (Chris) and Rachel; nephews Joshua and Jeffrey (Megan); great niece Joanna. Predeceased by his mother, Irene (nee Starra).
Chris had a very green thumb! From early on, he walked his grandmother’s gardens along with her - Martha/gramma - every Sunday, learning and gleaning from her the best way to grow and nurture plants. When very young, he grew a sizeable crop of carrots that were considerably larger than normal! He continued to care for and create new plants - vegetable and flower.
Chris has always been involved in music. From around the age of 5, he started piano lessons which started a career in accompanying choral ensembles in churches, schools, etc.. He achieved his Bachelor of Arts at Mennonite Brethren & Bible College, now Canadian Mennonite University, at the same time, directing music at Portage Ave. MB Church, Winnipeg, Canada.
Chris also taught piano and vocal lessons at Winkler Bible Institute while living in Winnipeg.
When he would visit, often unexpectedly, on a weekend, he would gain access to a local (to Kitchener, ON, Canada) church which had a pipe organ. “I remember sitting and listening to him play, cleaning the dust out of the pipes and making the floor rumble beneath me. I sat in awe as I watched his hands and feet going in all directions making incredible music!!!!” says his sister, Linda.
After moving to Rochester, he worked at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church as organist. He also was one of the founding members of Schola Cantorum in 1997, helping to create the Office of Compline, working together with the existing music director, Stephen Kennedy. He performed, vocally, with the Cantorum until health complications hindered his vocal abilities. From there, he continued on as librarian and candle constructor. He also took on the role of training and organizing the team of ushers for the Compline service each Sunday evening. “He wanted Compline to be the most important thing in the life of each person who attended. Compline transformed his life and he wanted it to transform the lives of others.” says Stephen.
"He saw the development of the Schola from a small band of musicians develop into one of the most important and noteworthy ensembles anywhere. The Schola later became a course at the Eastman School of Music at the request of the Early Music Committee and our many CD recordings are currently sold internationally. Christopher was fully dedicated to the success of the Schola and to Compline. He will be fondly remembered by past and present Schola members as a kind, supportive, and uncompromisingly meticulous force that helped steer the Schola and Compline toward growth and success. We will all miss him terribly!”
Chris was also known to be very meticulous in organization and the ability to fix anything that was broken. Hailing from parents who had to flee Europe during the war, it was instilled that nothing was garbage until there was proven to be no life at all left in it. Everything was to be cared for as it was a gift. "He even took to making candles himself to save the church from the expense of buying them.” says Stephen of the Schola Cantorum.
Christopher, or Chris, as known by his family, will be missed by many. We praise the Lord, Jesus Christ, that his suffering is over and know that he is celebrating with his mom in paradise.
Until we see each other again…we’ll say…
I'll see you in a little while
It won't be too long now
We'll see it on the other side
The wait was only the blink of an eye
So I'm not gonna say goodbye
'Cause I'll see you in a little while
Maybe you'll teach me all the songs they sing in heaven
Maybe you'll show me how you can fly
And I'll hear you laugh again
And we won't remember when
We were not together and this time it's forever
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to:
The Hochstein School, attaching Christopher Huebner’s name to the donation.
These donations will help the school in sponsoring children’s music lessons.
For link to donations copy and paste the link below
ttps://hochstein.org/Support
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Survived by his father, Walter Huebner; his brother Jim (Lizz) and his sister, Linda (Dave); his nieces Jessica, Kristi, Stephanie (Chris) and Rachel; nephews Joshua and Jeffrey (Megan); great niece Joanna. Predeceased by his mother, Irene (nee Starra).
Chris had a very green thumb! From early on, he walked his grandmother’s gardens along with her - Martha/gramma - every Sunday, learning and gleaning from her the best way to grow and nurture plants. When very young, he grew a sizeable crop of carrots that were considerably larger than normal! He continued to care for and create new plants - vegetable and flower.
Chris has always been involved in music. From around the age of 5, he started piano lessons which started a career in accompanying choral ensembles in churches, schools, etc.. He achieved his Bachelor of Arts at Mennonite Brethren & Bible College, now Canadian Mennonite University, at the same time, directing music at Portage Ave. MB Church, Winnipeg, Canada.
Chris also taught piano and vocal lessons at Winkler Bible Institute while living in Winnipeg.
When he would visit, often unexpectedly, on a weekend, he would gain access to a local (to Kitchener, ON, Canada) church which had a pipe organ. “I remember sitting and listening to him play, cleaning the dust out of the pipes and making the floor rumble beneath me. I sat in awe as I watched his hands and feet going in all directions making incredible music!!!!” says his sister, Linda.
After moving to Rochester, he worked at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church as organist. He also was one of the founding members of Schola Cantorum in 1997, helping to create the Office of Compline, working together with the existing music director, Stephen Kennedy. He performed, vocally, with the Cantorum until health complications hindered his vocal abilities. From there, he continued on as librarian and candle constructor. He also took on the role of training and organizing the team of ushers for the Compline service each Sunday evening. “He wanted Compline to be the most important thing in the life of each person who attended. Compline transformed his life and he wanted it to transform the lives of others.” says Stephen.
"He saw the development of the Schola from a small band of musicians develop into one of the most important and noteworthy ensembles anywhere. The Schola later became a course at the Eastman School of Music at the request of the Early Music Committee and our many CD recordings are currently sold internationally. Christopher was fully dedicated to the success of the Schola and to Compline. He will be fondly remembered by past and present Schola members as a kind, supportive, and uncompromisingly meticulous force that helped steer the Schola and Compline toward growth and success. We will all miss him terribly!”
Chris was also known to be very meticulous in organization and the ability to fix anything that was broken. Hailing from parents who had to flee Europe during the war, it was instilled that nothing was garbage until there was proven to be no life at all left in it. Everything was to be cared for as it was a gift. "He even took to making candles himself to save the church from the expense of buying them.” says Stephen of the Schola Cantorum.
Christopher, or Chris, as known by his family, will be missed by many. We praise the Lord, Jesus Christ, that his suffering is over and know that he is celebrating with his mom in paradise.
Until we see each other again…we’ll say…
I'll see you in a little while
It won't be too long now
We'll see it on the other side
The wait was only the blink of an eye
So I'm not gonna say goodbye
'Cause I'll see you in a little while
Maybe you'll teach me all the songs they sing in heaven
Maybe you'll show me how you can fly
And I'll hear you laugh again
And we won't remember when
We were not together and this time it's forever
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to:
The Hochstein School, attaching Christopher Huebner’s name to the donation.
These donations will help the school in sponsoring children’s music lessons.
For link to donations copy and paste the link below
ttps://hochstein.org/Support
To plant a tree in memory of Christopher Walter Huebner, visit the Tribute Store.
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