William D. Kushner

The son of Sam Kushner and Lily Donn Kushner, he was born on March 14, 1924, and grew up with his brother, Donn, part of a large and remarkable Lake Charles family.

After graduating from the Julliard School of Music in New York City, Mr. Kushner was a clarinetist with the Houston and New Orleans Symphonies, the New York City Opera and Metropolitan Opera orchestras in New York, and, in 1958, with the Lake Charles Civic Symphony, as it was then called.

In 1967 Mr. Kushner became the conductor of the Rapides Symphony in Alexandria, Louisiana, which he led from 1968 until his retirement in 2002. From 1978 to 2008, he became conductor of the Lake Charles Symphony.

Mr. Kushner taught music at McNeese State University for 17 years. He founded and owned Kushner Building Materials. He was a lifelong member of Temple Sinai in Lake Charles. During World War II, he served in the Army as a member of the Second Coast Artillery Band.

In 1946, he married Sylvia Deutscher, a bassoonist, who died in 1990. Their three children, Lesley, Tony, and Eric survive him, along with his daughter-in-law Maighread McCrann and his son-in-law Mark Harris.

He is also survived by his wife of 17 years, Marsha Kushner, his stepdaughter Laura Moise (Ed) and his stepson Mark Ford. Mr. Kushner is also survived by three nephews, Daniel, Roland and Paul Kushner, six grandchildren, Ciara and Orla Kushner, Madeleine and Lily Moise, and Natalie and Nicholas Ford, and a large and loving extended family.

Funeral Services will be held at Hixson Funeral Home in Lake Charles on Wednesday, March 14, at 11:00 a.m. followed by a graveside service at Graceland Cemetery.

Those wishing to make a contribution can donate to the McNeese Foundation/William Kushner Scholarship, to Temple Sinai of Lake Charles, or the Lake Charles Symphony/Sylvia Kushner Chair for Principal Bassoon or William Kushner Chair for Principal Clarinet.