Malcolm P. Ehrhardt

Malcolm P. Ehrhardt III, business leader and mentor to many, died suddenly from a cardiac event on the morning of Saturday, March 12, 2022. He was 74. Born at Touro Infirmary in New Orleans on August 1, 1947, Malcolm was the eldest of four children. He is preceded in death by his parents Malcolm Jr. and Jacqueline (Bourgeois) Ehrhardt, and his brother-in-law Glenn P. Welch. He is survived by his wife Pia (Zaninelli), his sons Marc (Bridget), Jeff (Kathy), Andrew (Melanie), sister Gwen Ehrhardt Welch, and brothers Philip (Linda) and Ken (Liz). He was extremely proud of his grandchildren Katie (Evan), Lane (Christian), Molly, Amelie, Beth, Lucy, Owen and William, and his great-grandchildren Adele, Asa and William.

Malcolm attended De La Salle High School, and the University of New Orleans, where he served as student government president 1968 - 1969. After graduating, he served as an infantryman in the U.S. Army in Vietnam from November 1970 to December 1971 and was later commissioned as an artillery officer in the famed Washington Artillery housed in Jackson Barracks, New Orleans. He was awarded a Bronze Star Medal and Combat Infantry Badge, along with Vietnam Service Ribbons for his service in the First Cavalry Division.

When he returned to New Orleans, he worked as director of alumni affairs at UNO and in local government. He then moved into a profession that became his calling. Together with his wife Pia, he founded The Ehrhardt Group in 1996. For the next 25 years, he worked with Pia and his eldest son Marc to build one of the top 150 public relations firms in the United States. Among his many achievements, he also earned a Master of Science from Syracuse University and he taught as an adjunct professor at LSU’s Manship School of Communication.

Malcolm spent his career providing tactful, insightful counsel to community leaders, governors, heads of corporations, and people who strove to make New Orleans and the region better. His curiosity and empathy made him the best of listeners and confidents, and his advice—as his friends, family, and especially his sons can testify—was as wise as it was assured. In his personal life, he loved spending time with his family, watching baseball, Seinfeld reruns, and TCM movies, reading books, and smoking cigars on the porch with his beloved Pia. On weekends, Malcolm took to cutting grass and tending the hedges across from his house on City Park Avenue.

Relatives and friends are invited to a service in his name at the U.S. Freedom Pavilion at the National WW2 Museum at 1043 Magazine Street on Friday, March 18, 2022, at 9am, with a reception to follow. By city mandate, all attendees will be required to present proof of Covid-19 vaccination or a negative test.

In lieu of flowers, the family invites donations to the Malcolm Hedge Fund at City Park and the NOLA VFW Post 8973.