Robert William Senner

Memorial services for Robert William Senner, 94, Lawrence, will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home. A second memorial service will be Saturday, Jan. 6, in Freeman, S.D. Inurnment will be at a later date in Freeman.Mr. Senner died Sunday, Dec. 17, 2006, at Lawrence Memorial Hospital.He was born Mar. 19, 1912, in Freeman, the son of William J. and Elizabeth Graber Senner. He graduated from Bethel College in 1942 and received a master’s degree from Wichita State University in 1951. He did additional graduate work at San Diego State University and the University of Minnesota. Mr. Senner was director of choral music at Buhler High School for 30 years. He was a member of numerous professional organizations and judged music contests extensively in Kansas and surrounding states. He sang with the Robert Shaw Chorale as part of his graduate work and later in retirement. He sang with Shaw’s group in San Diego; Atlanta; Minneapolis, Minn.; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and Tallahassee, Fla. He received the Kansas Music Educator’s Association Hall of Fame Award in 1978 and the Harry Robert Wilson Award for outstanding contribution to the choral music profession in 1981.He married Rachel Epp on Aug. 15, 1943, in Henderson, Neb. She survives, of the home.Other survivors include two sons, John W., Little Rock, Ark., and Stan and wife Pat, Anchorage, Alaska; two daughters, Roberta Senner Hofer and husband Rod, Lawrence, and Rachel Van Wingen, Washington, D.C.; a sister, May Juhnke, McPherson; and eight grandchildren, Matthew, Alexandra, Jacob, Timothy, Nathan, Elise, Paul and Daniel.Mr. Senner was preceded in death by his parents; an infant brother, Harold; a brother, Raymond; and two sisters, Kathryn Senner and Hazel Buhler.The family suggests memorials to the Mennonite Central Committee or Walter H. Hohmann Choral Conducting Scholarship Fund at Bethel College, sent in care of the funeral home.Online condolences may be sent at www.rumsey-yost.com.