John E. Drotleff, beloved husband, father, grandfather, uncle, and friend, passed away peacefully on April 23, 2025. He was 81 years old.
Born in Youngstown, Ohio, on March 3, 1944, John was the third son of the late Erwin and Henrietta Drotleff. He graduated from South High School in 1962 and went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree at Youngstown State University and a Master’s degree at Columbia University.
For the next five decades, he worked as a music teacher at various schools in Ohio, including East High School in Youngstown, Glenwood Middle School in Boardman, Youngstown State University, Avon Lake High School, Kent State University, and Lakewood High School, where he was Fine Arts Department Chairman. His high school choirs achieved recognition through their tours and appearances at several professional conferences. From 1980–1994, his top ensembles at both Avon Lake and Lakewood High School received 15 consecutive superior ratings in the AA Division at the OMEA state competitions. Along with his teaching career, he spent forty years in various church music programs as a soloist, organist, or director.
In 1984, he became the Artistic Director of The West Shore Chorale and Orchestra, a position he held until 2021. Under his direction, the Chorale performed the music of more than 150 composers and introduced a Choral Scholars program, encouraging local high school singers to continue participating in community music ensembles after graduation.
In the fall of 1998, he joined the faculty of Hiram College, where he conducted the Hiram College Choir and Madrigal Singers and taught choral conducting, music theory, and secondary choral methods. His college ensembles performed in 15 states, with notable appearances in New York, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Kansas City, Indianapolis, Cleveland, and at the Kennedy Center and The National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.
John was a member of many professional organizations and was especially proud of his association with the Ohio Choral Directors Association, where he twice served as president and received the Distinguished Service Award. He also found joy in mentoring students, many of whom went on to become professional musicians and music educators across Northeast Ohio.
Outside of work, John loved spending quality time with his family and friends, reading, exploring new restaurants, traveling, and cheering on Cleveland sports.
John was preceded in death by his loving wife of 49 years, Judy. He is survived by his son Stefan and daughter-in-law Misty; his beloved grandson Max; his brother Jim (Catrina); sister-in-law Mary Lou; and many more extended family members and friends.
A memorial service will be held on June 7, 2025, at 11:00am at Rocky River United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his honor to:
The West Shore Chorale
P.O. Box 770765
Lakewood, Ohio 44107-0036