Leavenworth High School Alumni
Leavenworth, Kansas (KS)
Eric F Haag Obituary
Eric F Haag attended Leavenworth High School in Leavenworth, KS. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about Eric F Haag.
| Graduation Year | Class of 1996 |
| Date of Passing | May 18, 2010 |
| About | Eric Frederick Haag, 32, of Leavenworth, died Tuesday, May 18, 2010, at a friend’s home in Kansas City, Mo., from natural causes. A descendant of one of Leavenworth’s pioneer families, he was born Jan. 6, 1978, in St. John Hospital of Leavenworth, the son of Donald Richard and Barbara Louise (Krause) Haag. He was preceded in death by his father in 2003 and his brother Michael Richard Haag in December, 2009. Eric is survived by his sister, Marcella Ann Haag Perez of Kissimmee, Fla; his brother, Peter Joseph Haag; and his mother, both of Leavenworth; and his sister-in-law Lauren Nave Haag of Manhattan, Kan. Although he loved Hawaii where he lived for more than four years, he returned to Leavenworth to be near family after the death of his brother. Always interested in the performing arts, Eric began dance lessons at age 3 and piano lessons at 6. The little boy joined in Verneil Searles’ annual Christmas production in downtown Leavenworth as a talking stage elf. He was a frequent cast member of the River City Community Theatre, appearing as Winthrop Paroo in The Music Man at age 6 before he could even read the script by himself! Among his favorite roles over the years were the title role in Oliver, Tom Sawyer in Big River, and Will Parker in Oklahoma, but he also loved Meet Me in St. Louis, Barnum, and many others. When Saint Mary University performed A Christmas Carol one year, then fourth-grader Eric was Tiny Tim. At the Carnegie Arts Center, he was Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew. He played Lucky Eddy in Hagar the Horrible at East Junior High School, and took on featured roles in Leavenworth High School’s productions of Waiting for Goudeau, Harvey, Fiddler on the Roof, Man of La Mancha, and others. Throughout high school, he choreographed and entertained as a member of the high school’s Power and Life performance choir. At home in Leavenworth, he was a member of Saint Joseph Church where he was baptized, confirmed, served as an acolyte, and taught Kindergarten CCD classes. Eric graduated from Leavenworth High School in 1996. For six seasons, he sang and danced on World’s of Fun’s Moulin Rouge and Tivoli stages. He was Mickey in Damn Yankees at Shawnee Mission’s Theater in the Park. He earned his bachelor’s degree in vocal music performance in 2000 from Pittsburg State University, writing music, performing in musical and theatre programs there such as the role of Captain Corcoran in H.M.S. Pinafore, and Papageno in Die Zauberflote, graduating magna cum laude, and singing the National Anthem at graduation ceremonies. Although he taught voice lessons on campus, on Saturday nights, he was the ever-present singing comic relief at the Jubilee Stage in Ft. Scott, Kansas. After college, Eric immediately went to work singing, dancing, and acting in dinner theatres around the nation starting with the Crown Uptown in Wichita where he was featured as Diesel in West Side Story, Doody in Grease (reprised in Lancaster), and appeared in many other Crown Uptown shows over the years. Beef & Boards, Indianapolis; Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre, Lancaster, Pennsylvania; the Red Barn Playhouse in Saugatuck, Michigan; the Kansas City Repertory Theatre; the Alanz Theatre of Kansas City; Hall Auditorium of Pembroke Hill in Kansas City, Mo.; and Branson, Missouri’s Blue Velvet Theatre with Bobby Vinton are just a few of the venues he in which he performed. Re-introducing himself to the Kansas music scene, Eric was part of the vocal cast of the Topeka Symphony earlier this month and planned on earning a master’s degree in music theory and composition. In his resume, Eric described himself as a “High Baritone†with brown, curly hair, brown eyes, standing 5 feet 10 inches tall. He recently penned a poem which ended, “How can you know you’re in the light unless you’ve been through the day.†Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10 a.m. Monday, May 24, 2010, at St. Francis deSales Catholic Church with Rev. Christopher Kulig, O.Carm., as celebrant. Inurnment will follow at Mount Calvary Cemetery. Arrangements by R.L. Leintz Funeral Home. |
