In Memoriam
John Wellman Becker, 94
March 11, 1927 - December 23, 2021
COOPERSTOWN - John Wellman Becker, 94 of Cranberry Township, PA, died peacefully December 23rd, 2021 at UPMC Passavan Hospital in McCandless PA. He was born March 11, 1927 in Cooperstown NY to Clyde S. Becker, Sr. and Laura Green Becker.
John’s childhood was marked by an early love of music. He studied piano with several teachers and by high school he was accompanying public events all over Cooperstown. John enlisted in the US Navy in 1948, serving on the U.S.S. Cascade in Japan. Returning to Otsego County after his tour, John earned a BA in business administration from Hartwick College. Moving to New York City to work at The International Paper Company, he studied organ with Searle Wright. At his teacher’s suggestion, and somewhat to his father’s alarm, he left I.P. to earn a Master’s of Sacred Music at Union Theological Seminary and in 1959-1960 he studied organ with Helmut Walcha at the Hochschule fur Musik, Frankfurt/Main. Surely, the world is richer for this choice.
