William Erat
Age - 81
November 18, 2023
After 81 years of a life dedicated to helping others, William G Erat left this mortal coil on November 8th 2023. Bill was born on August 11th, 1942 in Highland Park, Michigan to William and Emma Erat. The eldest of four siblings, Bill displayed a love and talent for music early on and was already giving accordion lessons at the age of 11. Classsmate Gary Hess at Detroit Lutheran H. S. East recalls, "Everyone liked Bill, he was the most popular guy and didn't have any enemies. " Bill's success in H. S. enabled him to win a sizable scholarship from the J&L Steel Co which he used to attend Valparaiso University as an undergrad. Originally majoring in nuclear physics, Bill made the switch to Psychology his sophomore year, earning his BA in 1964. Following his heart and a call from God, Bill was accepted and began his Theological studies and Cambridge University Fitzwilliam College in the fall of 1964. Bill always smiled when he recalled his time there and sang with choirs in the ancient King's College Chapel. After finishing his MA in Theology in 1966, Bill continued his Lutheran education at Concordia Seminary in St Louis, earning his Masters of Divinity in 1969. During this period through his vicarship Bill learned a lot about the direction his life would take working as a VA hospital chaplain and with children. Helping those in need was Bill's lodestar. In 1969 Bill moved to Boston and began work towards his Masters in Psychology at Boston University. He was active in the Lutheran student group as was the beautiful Linda Putnam, a nursing graduate student. In a bit of matchmaking, the groups' leader had them both over for dinner and the rest was history. Linda and Bill were married August 4th, 1973. Part of his degree involved working with at risk youth in Brockton, a small city outside Boston; and by 1974 he had begun his career as a clinical social worker. For the next 35 years Bill selflessly served as the Executive Director for Lutheran Social Service Agencies in Boston and Philadelphia. At LCA he oversaw the development of domestic and international refugee foster care systems, supervised group homes, created an international adoption program, and oversaw expansion of family counseling services in CT, MA, and Maine. In 1985 Bill moved the family to Philadelphia for a job with Lutheran Children and Family Services (LCFS). There he specialized in resettling refugees in all of PA, especially unaccompanied minors. After merging with Liberty Lutheran in 2000, the agency provided adoption, foster care, abuse prevention, after school programs, refugee resettlement, ESL, services to victims of torture, and LGTBQ services to youth and families. The time and love he gave his own family, church, and community was second to none. In 1985 the Erats joined St Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Glenside, PA, where Bill served as a pillar until the end. He served on church council in many capacities, and with Pastor Henrik created the yearly beloved Oktoberfest, which this past year raised $20,000 for Lutheran Disaster Relief. He never refused a job when it needed to be done, and on occasion served as a guest preacher. One of his greatest but underused talents was his ability to connect with people and deliver the Lord's Word from the pulpit. Early on at St Paul's, Pastor Skip Mcdowell talked about his experience in the Philadelphia Boy's Choir during a sermon. Bill had missed singing for years and saw this as a great opportunity to get back to making music. For the next 30 years he was a fixture in the Tenor section, going on tour to China, South Africa, and Australia just to name a few. This ignited a love of music in his sons Will and Tom, who also sang in the choir. Bill also traveled far and wide with his family; mission trips to Guatemala to help build needed infrastructure and trips for pleasure and education to Mexico, Australia, and England on the Queen Mary. Then of course the requisite long drives of the kid who moved away. It was always important to him to stay connected to his beloved family in Michigan. In retirement Bill's words reveal his style and character. . . as CRO or Chief Retirement Officer my duties include "Deploying available resources, including material and personnel, to families and organizations in need of stuff, collectibles, child care, vocal expertise, English language instruction, brewed liquids, garden care, and cumulative executive experience, while maintaining physical and mental health of self and family members, and financial health of same, but at the same time building a sense of wonder and gratefulness for each day, best expressed in song. " That's one beautiful sentence. Bill and Linda opened their home to 20 foster kids during their marriage and provided help to countless others. Most special is the story of Osmonie Mao, whom Bill and Linda met on a trip to Cambodia to see the refugee camps in the early 1980s. Osmonie came to the United States and joined the Erat family in 1984. Osmonie Erat is an incredibly successful Laser Engineer with a beautiful family. Bill is survived by wife, Linda, sisters Barbara and Margie, and brother, Bob. His memory lives on in son Osmonie and his wife Chinda of Danbury and their family, Celina, Jace, Allison, Anita, Ailiyah, and Amelia, son Will and his wife Kristin of the Bronx and their daughter Brianna, and son Thomas and his wife Angie of Philadelphia and their children Tommy, Emma, and Adam. Funeral Service will be at St Paul's Lutheran Church, 120 N. Easton Rd. Glenside, PA 19038 on Saturday 11/18 at 11 AM. Relatives and friends are invited to a Visitation at the Church Sat. after 10 AM. In lieu of flowers please make a donation in Bill's name to JDRF or St Paul's Lutheran Church Glenside.Show more
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