John "Jay" Ehrenzeller's Obituary
John L. (Jay) Ehrenzeller, a resident of Fort Myers since 1960, died November 18, 2013 at Hope Hospice House at HealthPark. Born in Colwyn, PA in 1930, John was the son of Elsie Carrie Sobbe and John Raymond Ehrenzeller. John earned his BA degree in Christian Education from the King’s College in Delaware in 1954. He was a member of the college choir that appeared weekly on the Rev. Percy Crawford’s TV program, “Youth on the March.” This was the first live coast-to-coast gospel TV broadcast in the nation, broadcast over ABC from Philadelphia, PA. John began his 40 year career as a social worker in Wilmington, DE. He earned his MSW degree from Florida State University in 1958 and began working for the State of Florida in St. Petersburg, FL. He came to Fort Myers to work in the Social Service Department at Sunland Training Center, Buckingham. John worked in numerous departments of the Department of Health and Rehabilitation Services before retiring in 1993. He was a dedicated member of McGregor Baptist Church for 53 years where he served in the music ministry, on the Board of Deacons and the committee responsible for planning and building the church when it relocated to Colonial Boulevard. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Lois Unruh Ehrenzeller, their children, Nancy (Brudell) Wooden of Vero Beach; David (Catherine) of Sanibel; Susan Nikolas of Tampa; four grandchildren, Andrew (Mary Kat), Amanda (Patrick), Adam and Benjamin; and sister, Muriel Higgins of San Antonio, Texas. John is preceded in death by his sisters, Audrey Updyke and Carolyn Hassis and his brother Robert. A Celebration of John’s Life will be held on Saturday, November 23rd at Fort Myers Memorial Gardens Funeral Home at 1:00 PM. The family will receive friends for one hour prior to the service. In lieu of flowers, please make a contribution to Hope Hospice Parkinson Program, 9470 HealthPark Circle, Fort Myers, Florida 33908 or McGregor Baptist Church, 3750 Colonial Boulevard, Fort Myers, Florida 33966. Memories and condolences may be left online at www.fortmyersmemorial.com.
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