LeRoy Ervin "Lee" Naasz

LeRoy “Lee” Ervin Naasz, 78, died on Saturday, January 26, 2013, at his home in Yakima, Washington. Lee was born on January 11, 1935, to Reinhold Harry and Elsie (Waldbauer) Naasz in Terry, Montana. On April 21, 1935, Lee was baptized in the name of God, the Father, and of the Son, Jesus, and of the Holy Spirit, as witnessed by Mrs. Pauline (Gottlieb Kameron) Naasz, Adolph Schott, and Gustav Weishaar. In 1937 Lee moved to Yakima with his parents in 1937. Duly instructed by Pastor T. R. Adascheck in the doctrines of the Christian faith as confessed, taught, and believed by Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church in Yakima, WA, Lee became a confirmed lifetime member of Grace on June 5, 1949.

Lee was a career musician, woodwind and brass musical instrument repair specialist and private music teacher for the saxophone, clarinet, and flute. He repaired instruments for many school districts in Seattle and surrounding areas and taught music lessons in Issaquah’s Mills Music and in his Seattle home. His designs on calling cards, music folders, signs and placards, acrylic and watercolor paintings give credence also to his gifted art ability.

A love for the Big Band sound began early. When he brought home his first alto saxophone from McKinley Grade School in the 6th grade, he played by ear “Sentimental Journey” with the tone quality of a professional. He made his debut playing publicly at the wedding dance of cousin, Pauline Weishaar and Al Dean, at the Broadway Grange on November 8, 1947, a couple months shy of his 13th birthday. In his school years at Franklin Jr. and Yakima High (now Davis) Lee was in every musical group available.

Playing public jobs with his dad who played piano and banjo, Lee was one of the youngest musicians in the Yakima Musicians Union at age 13. Both Dad on banjo and Lee, 14, on sax joined up with Johnny and Ethel Ackerman, accordion and piano respectively, and Grant Huey, Jr. on drums. Lee stepped into his first regular Saturday night playing job at the Gay Shat Toe on the west end of Tieton Drive. To make the German polkas and waltzes more flavorful, Lee had to master the clarinet to belt out those fast beat tempos. That took him about two weeks.

In high school he was in the company of several aspiring career musicians with Bill Herbst their teacher. He began playing with the TACOY (Teenage Club of Yakima) Band, which continued to play throughout many 1950’s Yakima High class reunions. Lee was a 1953 graduate of Yakima High School.

At Central Washington College (now CWU) in Ellensburg, WA, Lee formed another circle of new friends in the music education field. In the fall of 1953, his lifetime pal, Harley Brumbaugh (trumpet), was quick to notice the big guy with the most beautiful, warm, and full tone coming out of Lee’s saxophone. During his 3 and a half years at Central, he played with his college friends on Saturday nights at Playland Ballroom on the south end of the Elks Country Club and Golf Course in Selah, WA. Those dances broadcast live and recorded over a local radio station by Art Simpson, Lee auditioned for the Ronnie Bartley Orchestra based in Richmond, Virginia. Lee’s playing of “Harlem Nocturne” won him a berth playing lead alto with Bartley, In April 1957 he began the 39-states tour.

The U. S. Army put him in a different tour from January 1958 to January 1960. But good buddy, Harley, already at Ft. Ord, California, had Lee in as lead alto sax player. He served in the 52nd and 28th Army marching, concert, and stage bands and launched another milestone in his career when he took over repairing the musical instruments.

Lee had but a brief stint with the Bartley Orchestra after the army; the lure of the Pacific Northwest, family, relatives, and friends brought him home, which became Seattle, WA, for the next 47 years. While doing instrument repair work he played with various combos and big bands, including Bill Sheehan’s Tuxedo Junction. Throughout his career Lee backed many visiting artists—Della Reese, Nancy Wilson, Tony Tennille, Billy Eckstein, Mel Torme, and Buddy DeFranco. For a time in Seattle Lee belonged to the Western Sidebanders Radio Club and the Germans from Russia Society. Lee became very knowledgeable with his ancestry to the Naasz, Waldbauer, Weishaar, and Schott families.

When Lee returned to Yakima in April 2007, he moved into Living Care Retirement Community and enjoyed building new friendships.

Lee is predeceased by his father, mother, brother-in-law Norm Lehmann, his very special cousin Jo (Naasz) Childers and her husband, Bill, many uncles, aunts, cousins and friends—among them his lifetime buddies Clarence “Els” Lyons and Elmer Peters. Survivors include his beloved sister, Connie Lehmann, Uncle Bob Waldbauer, Sr., Yakima; Aunt Rose (Waldbauer) Dalton Bensenville, IL.; Aunt Vi (Waldbauer) Ziepfel, Oxford, OH, close cousins Dee (Buck) Wheat, Moses Lake, WA; Reuben (Carole) Naasz of Lynnwood, WA and many relatives and friends.

In the final chapter of Lee’s being, he cared only that his name was written in the Book of Eternal Life. His “Sentimental Journey” ended as it began. Lee’s “Good Lord” called and said, “Lee, I’m starting up a band and I want you to play lead alto. No audition—I already know how well you play (wink! wink!)” Without hesitation Lee responded, “I’ll be there immediately!” “Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee….How great THOU Art!”

Visitation will be held at the Keith & Keith Ninth Avenue Chapel on Thursday, January 31, 2013 from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. Funeral services will be held at Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, 1207 S. 7th Ave. Yakima. A committal service will follow at Terrace Heights Memorial Park with military honors conducted by William Wharton Post #379 VFW and Washington State National Guard. Memorial contributions may be made to Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church; the John Moawad Scholarship Fund at CWU, 400 E. University Way Ellensburg, WA 98926-7508; Seasons Performance Hall, 101 N. Naches Ave. Yakima, WA 98901 or to Friends of Big Band Jazz, 3316 Fir Avenue Alameda, CA 94502 or online at www.bigbandjazz.net/contributions.php. To celebrate the life of Lee and share a memory visit www.keithandkeith.com.