Eugene E. Englert
March 15, 1931 – June 2, 2024
March 15, 1931 – June 2, 2024
Eugene E. Englert, 93, passed into eternal life on June 2, 2024. Son, brother, husband, father, grandfather, musician, composer, pianist, organist, and choral director, he devoted his entire life to the service of the Church through sacred music and pastoral ministry.
Known widely as Gene, he began serving as a church musician at a very young age, playing organ for Catholic Masses and quickly establishing a lifelong vocation in liturgical music. After graduating from Purcell High School, he attended the Athenaeum of Ohio. He later served in the United States Army during the Korean War, where his musical gifts led to a concert at the American Embassy and the formation and direction of a Korean children’s choir.
Following his military service, he completed a Master’s degree in Music at the University of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and married Ruth Caplinger. Together they built a family and a life rooted in faith, music, and parish ministry. His distinguished career in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati included service as music and choir director at St. Clement, St. Charles, St. Clare, Sacred Heart in Fairfield, and most notably at Assumption Church in Mt. Healthy, where he served for 52 years.
A gifted organist and pianist, he also directed music programs at McAuley High School and the Good Samaritan Hospital School of Nursing, forming choirs and ensembles for concerts and liturgical celebrations over many decades. One of his most treasured accomplishments was leading two choirs to Rome in 1988 to sing for Pope John Paul II.
Beginning in the 1960s, he composed extensively for the Church, producing more than 250 published works for choir, piano, and organ. His music, written largely for parish use and hymnals, continues to be sung in churches throughout the world. He was also a founding member of the North American Conference for Music in the Liturgy, which contributed to the development of what is now the National Association of Pastoral Musicians, and he participated in the Milwaukee Composers’ Forum, contributing to important Church reflections on music and liturgy.
After the death of his wife in 2010, he lived quietly in Mt. Airy. In declining health, he remained surrounded by family and friends who shared memories and companionship with him even in his final days. His humor, warmth, and deep affection for others remained a steady presence throughout his life.
Above all, his life was marked by a profound devotion to the worship of God and service to the Church through music.
The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on June 8, 2024, at the Church of the Assumption, followed by burial at St. Mary’s Cemetery, St. Bernard, with military honors.
Known widely as Gene, he began serving as a church musician at a very young age, playing organ for Catholic Masses and quickly establishing a lifelong vocation in liturgical music. After graduating from Purcell High School, he attended the Athenaeum of Ohio. He later served in the United States Army during the Korean War, where his musical gifts led to a concert at the American Embassy and the formation and direction of a Korean children’s choir.
Following his military service, he completed a Master’s degree in Music at the University of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and married Ruth Caplinger. Together they built a family and a life rooted in faith, music, and parish ministry. His distinguished career in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati included service as music and choir director at St. Clement, St. Charles, St. Clare, Sacred Heart in Fairfield, and most notably at Assumption Church in Mt. Healthy, where he served for 52 years.
A gifted organist and pianist, he also directed music programs at McAuley High School and the Good Samaritan Hospital School of Nursing, forming choirs and ensembles for concerts and liturgical celebrations over many decades. One of his most treasured accomplishments was leading two choirs to Rome in 1988 to sing for Pope John Paul II.
Beginning in the 1960s, he composed extensively for the Church, producing more than 250 published works for choir, piano, and organ. His music, written largely for parish use and hymnals, continues to be sung in churches throughout the world. He was also a founding member of the North American Conference for Music in the Liturgy, which contributed to the development of what is now the National Association of Pastoral Musicians, and he participated in the Milwaukee Composers’ Forum, contributing to important Church reflections on music and liturgy.
After the death of his wife in 2010, he lived quietly in Mt. Airy. In declining health, he remained surrounded by family and friends who shared memories and companionship with him even in his final days. His humor, warmth, and deep affection for others remained a steady presence throughout his life.
Above all, his life was marked by a profound devotion to the worship of God and service to the Church through music.
The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on June 8, 2024, at the Church of the Assumption, followed by burial at St. Mary’s Cemetery, St. Bernard, with military honors.