Birth date: Jun 12, 1925 Death date: Dec 17, 2008
John De Haan, 83, of Lansing, KS formerly of Clinton, passed away suddenly Wednesday, December 17, 2008. John was born June 12, 1925 to Louis and Stella De Haan in the northwest Iowa community of Newkirk. In 1951, he married B Read Obituary
I just found that John had passed. What a great man! I taught high school with John and worked with him directing a musical in 1985-86 School Year in Clinton. I also traveled with him and the choir to Washington DC. My experience with John was one of the high lights of my teaching career and I will always feel fortunate to have known him.
I just learned of Mr.DeHaan's passing. I will always attribute my love and enjoyment of classical music to Mr.DeHaan, especially The Messiah. If he had not introduced me to it, in high school, I could have missed many of the most beautiful sounds I have ever known. Perhaps one day, we will join a heavenly choir in singing Hallelujah, and I will be able to give him a knowing smile.
I was deeply saddened to learn of Mr. DeHaan's recent passing. It was an honor to sing in the choir under his direction. Mr. DeHaan inspired each student to do their best. He did this with charm, with grace and with a sense of humor. My thoughts and prayers are with Mr. DeHaan's family during this most difficult time.
Mr.DeHaan was an inspiration to us in his choir. I remember going to DC with him. Our choir was so moved at the Iwo Jima Monument and in the National Cemetary. He was such an inspiration in our lives that we needed to carry choir songs into every other facet of our lives. He was such an important part of my young life, that my wife, whom I met in college, knew of Mr. DeHaan. The voice teaching that he did for me lives on every time I open my mouth to sing.
Thank you, John, for all you did for us. I love you and miss you so much. Thank you for sharing the love of Christ through music. I can't wait to sing with you when we all get to heaven. You blessed us all so much. You will never leave my heart. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord lift His countenance upon and give you peace. May the Lord be gracious unto you. Amen
I was saddened by the loss of Uncle John and I express my symphathy to the family. There are many fond memories of his and Aunt Betty's visits to northwest Iowa and their interest in all of us. Uncle John would also take time to tune our pianos. In fact, he was willing to teach me how to tune pianos one afternoon. After a brief lesson he looked at me out of the corner of his eye and in a deep voice asked, "Now, did you get that?" As have many others, I will remember his rich singing voice. Each time I play "Beneath the Cross of Jesus" I can hear him singing that hymn. He told me he thought his singing voice improved with age. I have also been touched by the tributes of those who have known him. What an impact he had on others' lives. While we miss him now, we look forward to seeing him in Heaven and are grateful for the assurance of life eternal. May the Lord grant the family peace in the days ahead.
Just a quick request.... our family was here over the holidays and I was telling about your dad's service.... do you know if a CD is available of the service. They (Reid and Angela)
would love a copy if two would be available... when and if you have time down the line could you please just drop us a line or call or message re: the availability... I called our church and they said you would have copies and they do not have them.
What a beautiful, healing celebration that day was... it was very special.
My deepest condolences to John's family and all who love him. It was an honor to be one of his students. I will always be grateful to him for the love of music that he shared with us and for the fact that he knew we were all capable of peforming such beautiful work.
He inspired us, expected great things from us and rewarded us richly with his time and attention. I will always be grateful to have known him, learned from him, laughed with him and cried with him.
We always knew our efforts in the classroom had been worthwhile, not when we heard audience applause, but when Mr. Dehaan smiled at us. That was reward enough.
He was a true gentleman and scholar and he will inspire me always.
Well, I am just catching up to this, but I am not surprised by the many, many tributes that have preceded. Particularly at this time of year, I often thought of Mr. DeHaan as I tried to run through the Messiah again in my head, or the Requiem. I never did sing again like I did with the CHS choir, but I have always considered that one of the best experiences I have ever had. Recently I had the pleasure of attending the Christmas at Luther concert, and I told my son (who does not sing) that I recognized the reason that concert resonated so with me was because it reminded me of the music we made thanks to John DeHaan's efforts. John DeHaan's love of music gave me those memories. I, too, remember his deep laugh and the joy and passion he brought to his music and his teaching. He was a great teacher for so many of us. May his family hold on to all these wonderful memories as well... Stacy
Hi Larry and Bob,
Deepest sympathy to you on the loss of your Dad.
I am one of the Logans -- we lived right down the street from you on 8th. Avenue -- I think my twin sister, Martha, and I even baby-sat for you a time or two! As you know, our parents remined good friends of your folks -- your Dad sang at our father's funeral in 1983,and our Mom, with her beautifu soprano voice, often sang in community chorus performances.
But the real reason I am commenting is to add my thoughts to those of so very many others who have written. Mr. De Haan was absolutely one of a kind. His ability to teach and inspire excellence is the stuff of which movies are made (just like "Mr. Holland's Opus"). He made being in choir "cool" at a time when joining a music group at most other schools was decidedly not cool. In the years I sang for him (1964 - 67), as in all other years, competition to be in choir was so fierce that each of us who landed a coveted spot knew how lucky we were. We were all there - the cheerleaders, athletes, smart kids, quiet kids, average kids, nerds - and the minute we walked in the choir room door, everything about the cruel pecking order of high school ceased to matter. We were one -- and we wanted to do our best. The thought that a choir director would even consider that a bunch of teenagers could sing the Brahms Requiem, or Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass, or a Bach motet for double choir ("Sing Ye to the Lord,") seems preposterous -- but not only did we sing these pieces, we sang them incredibly well. All because Mr. DeHaan taught us so well, and, even more importantly, because he believed in us.
We loved the competitions -- Tri-Double-I, and other festivals -- because we saw how much better we were than the other choirs. But Mr. De Haan always humbled us, and let us know we could improve. The only time I think I saw a bit of vanity come through was when we would triumph at All-State try-outs -- since CHS always had more quartets chosen than any other school. A real highlight in my years came when we were asked to perform at the Iowa Music Educators conference, which happened at the same time as All State in 1965 (my memory may be faulty here) -- we sang several pices but the "main" piece was the 4th chorus from the Brahms Requiem. As we filed out of the performance space, I heard two choir directors talking - one said "that's the finest high school choir I have ever heard," while the other one said "that's one of the finest choirs --not just high school -- I have ever heard."
We didn't have the musicals in those years - but we started singing madrigals, performed with the Clinton Symphony, and loved the tradition of singing in the halls at Christmas. (Yes, we, too sang "Carol of the Bells." We learned it in 10 minutes, memorized it in 5, and sang it perfectly.)
Well, like all the other alumni I could go on and on. I have been fortunate to do a lot of neat things in my life -- went to St. Olaf College, where I sang in one of its great choirs, and many other things -- but in my "top 5" list of life, singing in A'Capella will always rank right up there. Never was there a day when I didn't look forward to rehearsal, and when the time came to graduate, I was ready to get out of Clinton High with one exception -- I didn't want to leave choir behind.
Larry and Bob, your Dad was so wonderful. We were much blessed to know your parents and to be part of the Clinton High music family.
