Eren Sean Guendelsberger

Eren Sean Guendelsberger passed away on December 26, 2017, at his home in Mountain View, California. Eren was born on October 12, 1995, in Washington, D.C. He grew up in Arlington, Virginia, and attended Kenmore Middle School and H-B Woodlawn High School. He graduated from Oberlin College in Ohio where he majored in Computer Science. After graduation he worked for Google in Mountain View as a software engineer. Eren had a passion for music. He studied piano and voice with James Selway and Sondra Harnes. He participated in a number of stage productions under their direction, including The Mikado, as KoKo, and Iolanthe, as Strephon. As a member of the Opera Ensemble of the World Children’s Choir (WCC), he sang in Carmen with Denyce Graves and the National Symphony Orchestra, and in a Disney Gala with Julie Andrews. He also sang at the White House for President Bush and for First Lady Michelle Obama and Kim Yoon-ok, First Lady of Korea. Through music Eren celebrated cultural diversity and promoted a peaceful, healthful world for everyone. At H-B Woodlawn, Eren sang with the Chamber Singers and the Men’s Choir and played piano in the jazz band and violin in the orchestra. Along with music, Eren was fascinated by artificial intelligence and computer science. He worked as a Tech Cadre volunteer with the school’s IT department for four years and helped design and implement the H-B Woodlawn website. Eren loved Oberlin. He excelled at his classes, and helped other students by tutoring, mentoring, and organizing computer science interview workshops. He sang with the Collegium Musicum and the Oberlin Musical Union. Eren completed summer software engineering internships at the Federal Communications Commission, the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and Google. He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Oberlin College Chapter. In May 2017, Eren was honored with the R.J. Thomas Award for Outstanding Computer Science Graduate. Eren had incredible perseverance and strong core values. When he set a goal, he sought perfection. Eren was always kind and helpful to those around him. He had a sensitive soul and had deep empathy and concern for those who were suffering or in need. He will be lovingly remembered for his extraordinary gifts, and as a very special person. Eren is survived by his parents, John and Nese Boztepe Guendelsberger, his grandparents, and many aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. Memorial Service: A memorial service for Eren will be held on Sunday, February 11, at 3:00 p.m., at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington, 4444 Arlington Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia. Scholarship Fund: In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that gifts be made to the Eren Guendelsberger ’17 Memorial Endowed Scholarship in Computer Science at Oberlin College. Checks, designated for the Eren Guendelsberger Scholarship Fund, can be sent to: Oberlin College, Attn. Development Resources, 50 W. Lorain St., Oberlin OH 44074. To give online, go to oberlin.edu/giving/ and click on the "DONATE" button. Fields are available on the form for designating your gift to the Eren Guendelsberger Scholarship Fund in Eren’s memory.