Douglas E. “Doug” Bush died in his home on October 4 after battling cancer. Born in 1947, Bush grew up on a farm in western Montana; his interest in music began while in his high school choir. Bush attended Ricks College (now Brigham Young University Idaho); after a year at Ricks College, Bush was called on an LDS mission to Switzerland, following which he attended Brigham Young University, earning a bachelor’s degree in music performance in 1972 and a master’s degree in music in 1974. He received a Ph.D. in musicology in 1982 from the University of Texas at Austin.
Dr. Bush concertized extensively in the United States, Mexico, and Europe. He taught for many years at BYU and served as an organist for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. He conducted numerous masterclasses and workshops, and published organ and choral music for church use. His musicological research focused on the use of the organ in the Roman Catholic and Protestant liturgies of the German Renaissance and Baroque periods, as well as the music of Samuel Scheidt, Nicolas de Grigny, and Johann Sebastian Bach. Bush had received several grants for European research, the Alcuin Fellowship for General Education at BYU (1991), several teaching awards, and BYU’s Alumni Professorship award in 2011. Douglas E. Bush is survived by daughters Sarah Bush, Rebecca Buchert (Martin), Susan Bush (Joshua Trammell), Elizabeth Bush Campbell (Scott), and Christa Groesbeck (Garrett); 12 grandchildren; father, Josiah Douglas Bush (Mary Bush); brother, Rick Bush (Jackie) and sister, Dianne Reeder.
Michael A. Rowe of Denver, Colorado, died on September 13. Chair of the 1998 Colorado OHS Convention, Rowe was active in the restoration, rebuilding, relocation, and appreciation of many pipe organs, including the 1919 four-manual, 58-rank Austin organ at Memorial Hall in Pueblo, Colorado, and the 1911 Kimball rebuilt at Immaculate Conception Cathedral (RC) in Denver, both projects undertaken by Rick Morel of Morel & Associates in Denver.
Rowe was born January 29, 1945, in Edgewater, Colorado, and majored in theater at the University of Colorado. He subsequently received a teaching certificate from Regis College. He made Boulder his home and worked for the Boulder Valley School District. His personal passions included advocating for Boulder-Denver commuter rail service, and historic preservation projects locally and nationally. He worked to save and refurbish historic railroads and steam engines, including volunteering at Golden’s Colorado Railroad Museum, where he helped with locomotive and car restoration projects and with special exhibitions at the museum. Michael A. Rowe is survived by sisters Janice Kraft and Regina Carter, both of Bailey, and Patricia Melby, of Conifer, as well as nieces and nephews. Donations may be made in his name to the Organ Historical Society, PO Box 26811, Richmond, VA 23261.
Joseph William “Joey” Smith died October 24 in Atlanta, Georgia, as a result of injuries sustained from a severe beating by three individuals. He was considered to be brain-dead shortly after being admitted to the neurological intensive care unit of the hospital. Although he was an organ donor, most of his organs were so badly damaged by the beating that they were no longer viable. Born in Fayetteville, Georgia, on January 26, 1977, the son of Sarah Allen Anthony, Smith had been employed by Michael Proscia Organbuilder, Inc., Bowdon, Georgia, since 2005, and was considered the “computer genius” of the firm. He loved all forms of music and enjoyed playing the guitar. A person who was happy all the time, he was happiest when he was with his two sons. In his spare time he loved hunting and fishing. Joseph William Smith is survived by his mother and stepfather, Sarah Allen Anthony and Montgomery Anthony, Sr. of Woodland, Alabama; sons Cain Fristad of Lithia Spring, Georgia, and Maliki Smith of Carrollton, Georgia; brothers Chris Smith of Piedmont, South Carolina, David Ball of Hogansville, Georgia, and Montgomery Anthony, Jr. of Woodland, Alabama; and a host of other family and friends.
Walter S. Teutsch passed away on September 25 in Ghent, New York, seventeen days shy of his 104th birthday. Born in Augsburg, Germany, on October 11, 1909, Teutsch was expected to follow in the footsteps of his father, a judge in the Bavarian State Court System. After receiving his Doctor of Jurisprudence degree, the younger Teutsch practiced law in Augsburg for twelve years, after which he began studies at the Leopold Mozart Conservatory, where he earned a master’s degree. In the mid-1930s, Judge Teutsch felt that life in Germany under the Nazis was becoming difficult, and he arranged for his children to come to the United States. Walter Teutsch, his brother, and sister all settled in Utah; Teutsch taught music at Westminster College, Salt Lake City. He married his lifelong sweetheart, Gertrude, in Salt Lake City, and had two daughters. In 1954 Teutsch went to California Western University, to develop a music and opera program. He served as organist and choirmaster at All Souls Episcopal Church, Point Loma, and Mission Hills United Methodist Church, San Diego; he also played numerous concerts on the Spreckels organ at Balboa Park. Teutsch was active in the AGO, as a member of the La Jolla and San Diego chapters. Walter S. Teutsch is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Karin and Daniel Haldeman. ν
