NEW ULM LeRoy "Slivers" Dewanz, 87, of New Ulm, died Monday, July 27, 2009 at the Sleepy Eye Medical Center.
Funeral service will be 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 1 at the United Church of Christ in New Ulm with Rev. Henry Campbell officiating. Burial with full military honors conducted by the New Ulm Area Comrades of Valor Honor Guard will be 1 p.m. Monday, Aug. 3 at the New Ulm City Cemetery, Soldiers Rest section.
Visitation will be 4-8 p.m. Friday at Schmucker Funeral Service in New Ulm and one hour prior to the service at the church.
LeRoy Peter Dewanz, the son of Fred and Clementina (Popp) Dewanz, was born Sept. 8, 1921 in New Ulm.
He began his career in music at the age of 9 when he began clarinet lessons from Raymond Meidl. He played with the Holy Trinity High School Band and Orchestra and was awarded the school's Music Trophy as a freshman. He was a graduate of Cathedral High School.
In 1937, he played a clarinet solo over radio station KYSM in Mankato. Slivers joined the Eddie Wilfahrt Band in 1939 and joined the 205th Infantry Regiment Band stationed in New Ulm at that time. Around this time, he also began playing with the Guy DeLeo Orchestra, known as the Arabian Knights.
On Nov. 11, 1940, Guy DeLeo's Orchestra played a military ball in Breckenridge and got caught in the Armistice Day Blizzard. It took three days to get back to New Ulm.
He entered the United States Army Nov. 30, 1940. In 1941, the 205th Infantry Band was changed to the 215th AA (RA) Band or the Coast Artillery, Anti-Aircraft Band, and was stationed in Camp Hahn, Calif. In September 1941, the 215th was moved to Kodiak, Alaska and remained there for 33 months. In 1944, the 215th Band was moved to Fort Bliss, Texas, where it became the 84th Army Ground Forces Band, and was disbanded in the fall of 1945.
Slivers returned to New Ulm in November 1945, after being discharged from the Army in Texas. He joined Fezz Fritsche's Goosetown Band for a while and later re-joined the Guy DeLeo Orchestra.
In 1947, Slivers joined the Six Fat Dutchmen and stayed with them for about six years. He later played with the Whoopee John Orchestra and then with the Jules Herman Orchestra for a short period of time.
He was united in marriage to Alma Jean (Beach) Pivonka Oct. 20, 1971 at the United Church of Christ in New Ulm. The couple made their home in New Ulm.
In 1988, Slivers, his wife Jeanne and Floyd Schlottman formed the group, "We Three." They played together for 12 years in ballrooms, supper clubs, and dance clubs.
In 1993, Slivers started the group "The Friendly Four," consisting of himself, his wife Jeanne, John Arsers and Ralph Vogelpohl. They played concerts in nursing homes and assisted living centers for the next 11 years.
Slivers was inducted into the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame in 1997 and served as administrator from 2003 to 2008. His wife died March 29, 2009.
Survivors include his daughter, Deborah Dubberly and her husband Ray of New Ulm; step-daughters, Nancy Butters and her husband Matt of Scottsdale, Ariz., Linda Resch of Minneapolis; step-son, Joe Pivonka and his wife Cathy in Illinois; seven step-grandchildren; brothers, Melvin Dewanz, Donald Dewanz and his wife Opal, all of New Ulm; sister, Agnes Buysee of Winthrop, and nieces and nephews.
In addition to his wife, he was preceded in death by his brother Alfred and sisters Viola Buysee and Rose Rierson.
Memorials are preferred to the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame or the donor's choice.
(This Obituary is from the New Ulm Journal 7/30/2009)
The following is an article from the New Ulm Journal 7/29/2009...
NEW ULM - LeRoy "Slivers" DeWanz, a talented musician who played with many of the bands that made New Ulm famous, died Monday at the age of 87 at the Sleepy Eye Medical Center.
While band leaders like "Whoopee John" Wilfahrt, Harold Loeffelmacher and Fezz Fritsche got the headlines and the publicity, it was the professional sidemen like DeWanz who produced the music that made New Ulm the "Polka Capital of the Nation" back in the 1940s and '50s.
Over the years DeWanz, who gained the nickname "Slivers" as a young man for his 6-4, 160-pound build, played with bands like the Loeffelmacher's Six Fat Dutchmen, Babe Wagner, Elmer Scheid and the Schell's Hobo Band.
His contributions to local music - he was a talented arranger as well as musician - earned him induction into the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame, based in New Ulm.
Performing with bands like the "Six Fat Dutchmen" was a grueling experience, DeWanz recounted in an interview with The Journal for the "Hometown Harmony" section in 2003.
Loeffelmacher averaged 325 performances a year for 30 years. DeWanz played with Loeffelmacher from 1947 to 1953. In 2003, DeWanz recalled leaving for one two-week trip to North Dakota, coming home for a one-night rest - on Thanksgiving - and leaving the next day for a two-week tour of Nebraska.
The schedule would wear out "weekend" musicians, but it provided a living for those who wanted to be full-time traveling band members.
DeWanz graduated from Holy Trinity High School in 1939. He got his first professional job his senior year, playing with the Eddie Wilfahrt.
During World War II, DeWanz was stationed in Kodiak, Alaska, and played with the 215th National Guard Regiment Band in USO-type shows in fishing villages and towns in Alaska. He said the audiences there were among his favorites.
"People up there were happy as hell to hear a new band," he told The Journal in 2003. "It must have been a really big thing to them."
In recent years DeWanz and his wife Jeanne, a talented keyboard player, often performed together or in combos at parties and shows. He also played with the New Ulm Municipal Band and the New Ulm Original German Band.
In 2006, a "Salute to Slivers" was held at Turner Hall. The tribute was organized by Jeff Braegelmann, a fellow member of the Municipal Band and the Original German Band.
"I knew about Slivers a long time before I ever met him because of his reputation as a musician and arranger," said Braegelmann.
"I finally got a chance to meet him and play with him in the Municipal Band and more recently with the Original German Band. For me, the most fun I've had with the band was when we got to play something Slivers arranged. It was always very good, very well done.
"He was also just a heck of a storyteller," said Braegelmann.
"He was a talented musician, but also a very friendly, approachable and decent man. ... I've come to know quite a few musicians over the years, but few have carried the reputation of Slivers," said Braegelmann.
Funeral arrangements are being handled by Schmucker Funeral Service.
Visitations is set for 4-8 p.m. Friday, with a funeral service at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the United Church of Christ in New Ulm.
Funeral service will be 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 1 at the United Church of Christ in New Ulm with Rev. Henry Campbell officiating. Burial with full military honors conducted by the New Ulm Area Comrades of Valor Honor Guard will be 1 p.m. Monday, Aug. 3 at the New Ulm City Cemetery, Soldiers Rest section.
Visitation will be 4-8 p.m. Friday at Schmucker Funeral Service in New Ulm and one hour prior to the service at the church.
LeRoy Peter Dewanz, the son of Fred and Clementina (Popp) Dewanz, was born Sept. 8, 1921 in New Ulm.
He began his career in music at the age of 9 when he began clarinet lessons from Raymond Meidl. He played with the Holy Trinity High School Band and Orchestra and was awarded the school's Music Trophy as a freshman. He was a graduate of Cathedral High School.
In 1937, he played a clarinet solo over radio station KYSM in Mankato. Slivers joined the Eddie Wilfahrt Band in 1939 and joined the 205th Infantry Regiment Band stationed in New Ulm at that time. Around this time, he also began playing with the Guy DeLeo Orchestra, known as the Arabian Knights.
On Nov. 11, 1940, Guy DeLeo's Orchestra played a military ball in Breckenridge and got caught in the Armistice Day Blizzard. It took three days to get back to New Ulm.
He entered the United States Army Nov. 30, 1940. In 1941, the 205th Infantry Band was changed to the 215th AA (RA) Band or the Coast Artillery, Anti-Aircraft Band, and was stationed in Camp Hahn, Calif. In September 1941, the 215th was moved to Kodiak, Alaska and remained there for 33 months. In 1944, the 215th Band was moved to Fort Bliss, Texas, where it became the 84th Army Ground Forces Band, and was disbanded in the fall of 1945.
Slivers returned to New Ulm in November 1945, after being discharged from the Army in Texas. He joined Fezz Fritsche's Goosetown Band for a while and later re-joined the Guy DeLeo Orchestra.
In 1947, Slivers joined the Six Fat Dutchmen and stayed with them for about six years. He later played with the Whoopee John Orchestra and then with the Jules Herman Orchestra for a short period of time.
He was united in marriage to Alma Jean (Beach) Pivonka Oct. 20, 1971 at the United Church of Christ in New Ulm. The couple made their home in New Ulm.
In 1988, Slivers, his wife Jeanne and Floyd Schlottman formed the group, "We Three." They played together for 12 years in ballrooms, supper clubs, and dance clubs.
In 1993, Slivers started the group "The Friendly Four," consisting of himself, his wife Jeanne, John Arsers and Ralph Vogelpohl. They played concerts in nursing homes and assisted living centers for the next 11 years.
Slivers was inducted into the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame in 1997 and served as administrator from 2003 to 2008. His wife died March 29, 2009.
Survivors include his daughter, Deborah Dubberly and her husband Ray of New Ulm; step-daughters, Nancy Butters and her husband Matt of Scottsdale, Ariz., Linda Resch of Minneapolis; step-son, Joe Pivonka and his wife Cathy in Illinois; seven step-grandchildren; brothers, Melvin Dewanz, Donald Dewanz and his wife Opal, all of New Ulm; sister, Agnes Buysee of Winthrop, and nieces and nephews.
In addition to his wife, he was preceded in death by his brother Alfred and sisters Viola Buysee and Rose Rierson.
Memorials are preferred to the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame or the donor's choice.
(This Obituary is from the New Ulm Journal 7/30/2009)
The following is an article from the New Ulm Journal 7/29/2009...
NEW ULM - LeRoy "Slivers" DeWanz, a talented musician who played with many of the bands that made New Ulm famous, died Monday at the age of 87 at the Sleepy Eye Medical Center.
While band leaders like "Whoopee John" Wilfahrt, Harold Loeffelmacher and Fezz Fritsche got the headlines and the publicity, it was the professional sidemen like DeWanz who produced the music that made New Ulm the "Polka Capital of the Nation" back in the 1940s and '50s.
Over the years DeWanz, who gained the nickname "Slivers" as a young man for his 6-4, 160-pound build, played with bands like the Loeffelmacher's Six Fat Dutchmen, Babe Wagner, Elmer Scheid and the Schell's Hobo Band.
His contributions to local music - he was a talented arranger as well as musician - earned him induction into the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame, based in New Ulm.
Performing with bands like the "Six Fat Dutchmen" was a grueling experience, DeWanz recounted in an interview with The Journal for the "Hometown Harmony" section in 2003.
Loeffelmacher averaged 325 performances a year for 30 years. DeWanz played with Loeffelmacher from 1947 to 1953. In 2003, DeWanz recalled leaving for one two-week trip to North Dakota, coming home for a one-night rest - on Thanksgiving - and leaving the next day for a two-week tour of Nebraska.
The schedule would wear out "weekend" musicians, but it provided a living for those who wanted to be full-time traveling band members.
DeWanz graduated from Holy Trinity High School in 1939. He got his first professional job his senior year, playing with the Eddie Wilfahrt.
During World War II, DeWanz was stationed in Kodiak, Alaska, and played with the 215th National Guard Regiment Band in USO-type shows in fishing villages and towns in Alaska. He said the audiences there were among his favorites.
"People up there were happy as hell to hear a new band," he told The Journal in 2003. "It must have been a really big thing to them."
In recent years DeWanz and his wife Jeanne, a talented keyboard player, often performed together or in combos at parties and shows. He also played with the New Ulm Municipal Band and the New Ulm Original German Band.
In 2006, a "Salute to Slivers" was held at Turner Hall. The tribute was organized by Jeff Braegelmann, a fellow member of the Municipal Band and the Original German Band.
"I knew about Slivers a long time before I ever met him because of his reputation as a musician and arranger," said Braegelmann.
"I finally got a chance to meet him and play with him in the Municipal Band and more recently with the Original German Band. For me, the most fun I've had with the band was when we got to play something Slivers arranged. It was always very good, very well done.
"He was also just a heck of a storyteller," said Braegelmann.
"He was a talented musician, but also a very friendly, approachable and decent man. ... I've come to know quite a few musicians over the years, but few have carried the reputation of Slivers," said Braegelmann.
Funeral arrangements are being handled by Schmucker Funeral Service.
Visitations is set for 4-8 p.m. Friday, with a funeral service at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the United Church of Christ in New Ulm.
NEW ULM LeRoy "Slivers" Dewanz, 87, of New Ulm, died Monday, July 27, 2009 at the Sleepy Eye Medical Center.
Funeral service will be 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 1 at the United Church of Christ in New Ulm with Rev. Henry Campbell officiating. Burial with full military honors conducted by the New Ulm Area Comrades of Valor Honor Guard will be 1 p.m. Monday, Aug. 3 at the New Ulm City Cemetery, Soldiers Rest section.
Visitation will be 4-8 p.m. Friday at Schmucker Funeral Service in New Ulm and one hour prior to the service at the church.
LeRoy Peter Dewanz, the son of Fred and Clementina (Popp) Dewanz, was born Sept. 8, 1921 in New Ulm.
He began his career in music at the age of 9 when he began clarinet lessons from Raymond Meidl. He played with the Holy Trinity High School Band and Orchestra and was awarded the school's Music Trophy as a freshman. He was a graduate of Cathedral High School.
In 1937, he played a clarinet solo over radio station KYSM in Mankato. Slivers joined the Eddie Wilfahrt Band in 1939 and joined the 205th Infantry Regiment Band stationed in New Ulm at that time. Around this time, he also began playing with the Guy DeLeo Orchestra, known as the Arabian Knights.
On Nov. 11, 1940, Guy DeLeo's Orchestra played a military ball in Breckenridge and got caught in the Armistice Day Blizzard. It took three days to get back to New Ulm.
He entered the United States Army Nov. 30, 1940. In 1941, the 205th Infantry Band was changed to the 215th AA (RA) Band or the Coast Artillery, Anti-Aircraft Band, and was stationed in Camp Hahn, Calif. In September 1941, the 215th was moved to Kodiak, Alaska and remained there for 33 months. In 1944, the 215th Band was moved to Fort Bliss, Texas, where it became the 84th Army Ground Forces Band, and was disbanded in the fall of 1945.
Slivers returned to New Ulm in November 1945, after being discharged from the Army in Texas. He joined Fezz Fritsche's Goosetown Band for a while and later re-joined the Guy DeLeo Orchestra.
In 1947, Slivers joined the Six Fat Dutchmen and stayed with them for about six years. He later played with the Whoopee John Orchestra and then with the Jules Herman Orchestra for a short period of time.
He was united in marriage to Alma Jean (Beach) Pivonka Oct. 20, 1971 at the United Church of Christ in New Ulm. The couple made their home in New Ulm.
In 1988, Slivers, his wife Jeanne and Floyd Schlottman formed the group, "We Three." They played together for 12 years in ballrooms, supper clubs, and dance clubs.
In 1993, Slivers started the group "The Friendly Four," consisting of himself, his wife Jeanne, John Arsers and Ralph Vogelpohl. They played concerts in nursing homes and assisted living centers for the next 11 years.
Slivers was inducted into the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame in 1997 and served as administrator from 2003 to 2008. His wife died March 29, 2009.
Survivors include his daughter, Deborah Dubberly and her husband Ray of New Ulm; step-daughters, Nancy Butters and her husband Matt of Scottsdale, Ariz., Linda Resch of Minneapolis; step-son, Joe Pivonka and his wife Cathy in Illinois; seven step-grandchildren; brothers, Melvin Dewanz, Donald Dewanz and his wife Opal, all of New Ulm; sister, Agnes Buysee of Winthrop, and nieces and nephews.
In addition to his wife, he was preceded in death by his brother Alfred and sisters Viola Buysee and Rose Rierson.
Memorials are preferred to the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame or the donor's choice.
(This Obituary is from the New Ulm Journal 7/30/2009)
The following is an article from the New Ulm Journal 7/29/2009...
NEW ULM - LeRoy "Slivers" DeWanz, a talented musician who played with many of the bands that made New Ulm famous, died Monday at the age of 87 at the Sleepy Eye Medical Center.
While band leaders like "Whoopee John" Wilfahrt, Harold Loeffelmacher and Fezz Fritsche got the headlines and the publicity, it was the professional sidemen like DeWanz who produced the music that made New Ulm the "Polka Capital of the Nation" back in the 1940s and '50s.
Over the years DeWanz, who gained the nickname "Slivers" as a young man for his 6-4, 160-pound build, played with bands like the Loeffelmacher's Six Fat Dutchmen, Babe Wagner, Elmer Scheid and the Schell's Hobo Band.
His contributions to local music - he was a talented arranger as well as musician - earned him induction into the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame, based in New Ulm.
Performing with bands like the "Six Fat Dutchmen" was a grueling experience, DeWanz recounted in an interview with The Journal for the "Hometown Harmony" section in 2003.
Loeffelmacher averaged 325 performances a year for 30 years. DeWanz played with Loeffelmacher from 1947 to 1953. In 2003, DeWanz recalled leaving for one two-week trip to North Dakota, coming home for a one-night rest - on Thanksgiving - and leaving the next day for a two-week tour of Nebraska.
The schedule would wear out "weekend" musicians, but it provided a living for those who wanted to be full-time traveling band members.
DeWanz graduated from Holy Trinity High School in 1939. He got his first professional job his senior year, playing with the Eddie Wilfahrt.
During World War II, DeWanz was stationed in Kodiak, Alaska, and played with the 215th National Guard Regiment Band in USO-type shows in fishing villages and towns in Alaska. He said the audiences there were among his favorites.
"People up there were happy as hell to hear a new band," he told The Journal in 2003. "It must have been a really big thing to them."
In recent years DeWanz and his wife Jeanne, a talented keyboard player, often performed together or in combos at parties and shows. He also played with the New Ulm Municipal Band and the New Ulm Original German Band.
In 2006, a "Salute to Slivers" was held at Turner Hall. The tribute was organized by Jeff Braegelmann, a fellow member of the Municipal Band and the Original German Band.
"I knew about Slivers a long time before I ever met him because of his reputation as a musician and arranger," said Braegelmann.
"I finally got a chance to meet him and play with him in the Municipal Band and more recently with the Original German Band. For me, the most fun I've had with the band was when we got to play something Slivers arranged. It was always very good, very well done.
"He was also just a heck of a storyteller," said Braegelmann.
"He was a talented musician, but also a very friendly, approachable and decent man. ... I've come to know quite a few musicians over the years, but few have carried the reputation of Slivers," said Braegelmann.
Funeral arrangements are being handled by Schmucker Funeral Service.
Visitations is set for 4-8 p.m. Friday, with a funeral service at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the United Church of Christ in New Ulm.
Funeral service will be 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 1 at the United Church of Christ in New Ulm with Rev. Henry Campbell officiating. Burial with full military honors conducted by the New Ulm Area Comrades of Valor Honor Guard will be 1 p.m. Monday, Aug. 3 at the New Ulm City Cemetery, Soldiers Rest section.
Visitation will be 4-8 p.m. Friday at Schmucker Funeral Service in New Ulm and one hour prior to the service at the church.
LeRoy Peter Dewanz, the son of Fred and Clementina (Popp) Dewanz, was born Sept. 8, 1921 in New Ulm.
He began his career in music at the age of 9 when he began clarinet lessons from Raymond Meidl. He played with the Holy Trinity High School Band and Orchestra and was awarded the school's Music Trophy as a freshman. He was a graduate of Cathedral High School.
In 1937, he played a clarinet solo over radio station KYSM in Mankato. Slivers joined the Eddie Wilfahrt Band in 1939 and joined the 205th Infantry Regiment Band stationed in New Ulm at that time. Around this time, he also began playing with the Guy DeLeo Orchestra, known as the Arabian Knights.
On Nov. 11, 1940, Guy DeLeo's Orchestra played a military ball in Breckenridge and got caught in the Armistice Day Blizzard. It took three days to get back to New Ulm.
He entered the United States Army Nov. 30, 1940. In 1941, the 205th Infantry Band was changed to the 215th AA (RA) Band or the Coast Artillery, Anti-Aircraft Band, and was stationed in Camp Hahn, Calif. In September 1941, the 215th was moved to Kodiak, Alaska and remained there for 33 months. In 1944, the 215th Band was moved to Fort Bliss, Texas, where it became the 84th Army Ground Forces Band, and was disbanded in the fall of 1945.
Slivers returned to New Ulm in November 1945, after being discharged from the Army in Texas. He joined Fezz Fritsche's Goosetown Band for a while and later re-joined the Guy DeLeo Orchestra.
In 1947, Slivers joined the Six Fat Dutchmen and stayed with them for about six years. He later played with the Whoopee John Orchestra and then with the Jules Herman Orchestra for a short period of time.
He was united in marriage to Alma Jean (Beach) Pivonka Oct. 20, 1971 at the United Church of Christ in New Ulm. The couple made their home in New Ulm.
In 1988, Slivers, his wife Jeanne and Floyd Schlottman formed the group, "We Three." They played together for 12 years in ballrooms, supper clubs, and dance clubs.
In 1993, Slivers started the group "The Friendly Four," consisting of himself, his wife Jeanne, John Arsers and Ralph Vogelpohl. They played concerts in nursing homes and assisted living centers for the next 11 years.
Slivers was inducted into the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame in 1997 and served as administrator from 2003 to 2008. His wife died March 29, 2009.
Survivors include his daughter, Deborah Dubberly and her husband Ray of New Ulm; step-daughters, Nancy Butters and her husband Matt of Scottsdale, Ariz., Linda Resch of Minneapolis; step-son, Joe Pivonka and his wife Cathy in Illinois; seven step-grandchildren; brothers, Melvin Dewanz, Donald Dewanz and his wife Opal, all of New Ulm; sister, Agnes Buysee of Winthrop, and nieces and nephews.
In addition to his wife, he was preceded in death by his brother Alfred and sisters Viola Buysee and Rose Rierson.
Memorials are preferred to the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame or the donor's choice.
(This Obituary is from the New Ulm Journal 7/30/2009)
The following is an article from the New Ulm Journal 7/29/2009...
NEW ULM - LeRoy "Slivers" DeWanz, a talented musician who played with many of the bands that made New Ulm famous, died Monday at the age of 87 at the Sleepy Eye Medical Center.
While band leaders like "Whoopee John" Wilfahrt, Harold Loeffelmacher and Fezz Fritsche got the headlines and the publicity, it was the professional sidemen like DeWanz who produced the music that made New Ulm the "Polka Capital of the Nation" back in the 1940s and '50s.
Over the years DeWanz, who gained the nickname "Slivers" as a young man for his 6-4, 160-pound build, played with bands like the Loeffelmacher's Six Fat Dutchmen, Babe Wagner, Elmer Scheid and the Schell's Hobo Band.
His contributions to local music - he was a talented arranger as well as musician - earned him induction into the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame, based in New Ulm.
Performing with bands like the "Six Fat Dutchmen" was a grueling experience, DeWanz recounted in an interview with The Journal for the "Hometown Harmony" section in 2003.
Loeffelmacher averaged 325 performances a year for 30 years. DeWanz played with Loeffelmacher from 1947 to 1953. In 2003, DeWanz recalled leaving for one two-week trip to North Dakota, coming home for a one-night rest - on Thanksgiving - and leaving the next day for a two-week tour of Nebraska.
The schedule would wear out "weekend" musicians, but it provided a living for those who wanted to be full-time traveling band members.
DeWanz graduated from Holy Trinity High School in 1939. He got his first professional job his senior year, playing with the Eddie Wilfahrt.
During World War II, DeWanz was stationed in Kodiak, Alaska, and played with the 215th National Guard Regiment Band in USO-type shows in fishing villages and towns in Alaska. He said the audiences there were among his favorites.
"People up there were happy as hell to hear a new band," he told The Journal in 2003. "It must have been a really big thing to them."
In recent years DeWanz and his wife Jeanne, a talented keyboard player, often performed together or in combos at parties and shows. He also played with the New Ulm Municipal Band and the New Ulm Original German Band.
In 2006, a "Salute to Slivers" was held at Turner Hall. The tribute was organized by Jeff Braegelmann, a fellow member of the Municipal Band and the Original German Band.
"I knew about Slivers a long time before I ever met him because of his reputation as a musician and arranger," said Braegelmann.
"I finally got a chance to meet him and play with him in the Municipal Band and more recently with the Original German Band. For me, the most fun I've had with the band was when we got to play something Slivers arranged. It was always very good, very well done.
"He was also just a heck of a storyteller," said Braegelmann.
"He was a talented musician, but also a very friendly, approachable and decent man. ... I've come to know quite a few musicians over the years, but few have carried the reputation of Slivers," said Braegelmann.
Funeral arrangements are being handled by Schmucker Funeral Service.
Visitations is set for 4-8 p.m. Friday, with a funeral service at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the United Church of Christ in New Ulm.
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