Arthur E. Eberhardt

Arthur Ernest Eberhardt passed away March 6, 2020 in Angola, Indiana. He is survived by his children Roger Eberhardt (wife Janet nee Haynes) and Laurie Eberhardt (husband Peter Martin), grandchildren Peter, David (Cassandra), Ellie, and Sylvie, great-grandchildren Benjamin, Nicholas, and Scarlett and several generations of nieces and nephews.  He was preceded in death by his parents Herbert and Mabel Eberhardt, brother Edward, sister Jane, daughter Ellen, and beloved wife of 61 years, Marion (nee Williams) Eberhardt.
Art was born April 28, 1925 in Indianapolis, Indiana.  He graduated from Indianapolis Technical High School in 1943 and served in Patton’s Third Army, Field Artillery at the end of WW2.  After the war, he completed a degree in electrical engineering at Purdue University in 1949 and he married Marion that same summer.  They then moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa where he worked for Collins Radio company in receiver development.  He earned a Masters Degree from St. Francis College in Fort Wayne.  In the Fall of 1952, he started his teaching career at Tri-State College (now Trine University) in Angola, Indiana, where he taught electrical engineering for almost 40 years.  
In addition to his teaching job, he and Marion had many interesting adventures including starting a picnic table kit business out of their garage, building a log cabin in the Michigan Northwoods using only hand tools, and sprouting and planting thousands of trees.  Many of the trees from their backyard nursery continue to grow along streets and in yards around Angola today as well as natural areas in both Indiana and Michigan.  He was also an avid photographer and spent many hours capturing natural sounds with his homemade “big ear” microphone.  His interest in conservation and environmental stewardship led him to spearhead the first Earth Day celebration at Tri-State University in 1970 where there is now an environmental center named in his honor. For more than 25 years, he helped organize the annual spring “Adopt A Tree” festival at Wing Haven Nature Preserve.  He expanded on his life-long passion of planting and promoting trees by helping to preserve local forests through work with ACRES Land Trust, Charles McClue Reserve, and the Angola Tree Board. In 2013 he received an award of recognition for his conservation work from the Indiana Urban Forestry Council.  Perhaps his proudest accomplishment was to help preserve a beautiful oak hickory forest on the north side of Angola, now named Marion’s Woods in his wife’s honor.
Art was also a lifelong musician, playing a variety of instruments (cornet, guitar, banjo, lap dulcimer, harp, autoharp, and recorder) and singing (Collins Radio choir, UCC church choir, Pokagon Pitch Pipers, leader of community carol sings).  He loved folk music and attended many concerts, festivals, and workshops all over the Midwest.  Additionally, he built over 40 dulcimers and other musical instruments in his basement and freely shared music with many friends and family members.

A celebration of Art’s life to be held at a later date.