Obituary of Arthur Auer

May 19, 1920-August 1, 2011 Services will on Monday, August 8, for Arthur R. Auer (aka "Art" Auer) who passed away on August 1 while resting comfortably in a local long-term care facility. Art was born May 19, 1920 in New York City, and was educated in NYC public schools. While in high school, Art was a member of the Mathematics Team, competing in many Math tournaments on the East Coast. After high school, being an accomplished pianist, Art pursued a musical career, performing on Trans-Atlantic ocean liners. Later, he was part of the "Big Band Era," playing the beautiful music of the 1940s with the likes of Frankie Carle and Artie Shaw. He was known locally as the pianist for "The Golden Boys Trio," who performed in numerous venues throughout the Santa Cruz area. Also, he was the pianist for the local chapter of the Elks Lodge. Art left the music business/ocean liner career to enlist in the U.S. Army and join the war effort of WWII. He served our country as part of the U.S. Army Air Corp. In that job, he was stationed in Alaska and worked as an airplane mechanic, preparing planes to be shipped to Russia, one of our allies in that conflict. After the war ended, Art applied and was accepted for enrollment to Columbia University, attending classes on the GI Bill. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in Mathematics. While in school, he supplemented the GI Bill with earnings as a musician. Art married Aurelia DeLuca on September 21, 1952 and were married until her passing in 1985. They made their home in New York City and later in Long Island, NY. Upon his graduation from Columbia, Art was hired by the AXA Equitable Insurance Company in New York City, where he was employed as an Actuary for 35 years. He retired as a Vice President in 1986. While employed with AXA, Art played tournament Bridge on the company team, which won the vast majority of their tournaments up and down the East Coast. After his retirement, Art relocated to Santa Cruz, California and lived in the Brookside Glen Townhomes on Stonycreek Road. At that time Art met his wife Dorothy Ann Holdridge. They married October 24, 1987. In their almost 24 years together, Art and "Ann" enjoyed many wonderful travel excursions, foreign and domestic, most of which were with their dear friends. They enjoyed a very loving and caring marriage relationship. During his Santa Cruz years, Art served as Treasurer for the townhouse development, as Treasurer, Finance Chairman and Comptroller of the Villa Santa Cruz Mobile Home Park (where he and his wife Dorothy Ann lived), as Pianist for the Santa Cruz Elks Lodge #824 for fifteen years, and was a member of the Presidents Club at Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan as a major financial supporter of the College. Arthur is survived by his wife Dorothy (Ann) Auer; his three children: Arthur Robert Auer and wife Barbara (Bonny Doon, CA), Douglas Auer (Las Vegas, NV), and Darlene Greber and husband Steve (Shreveport, LA); by his five stepchildren: Tom Holdridge and wife Joanne, Bill Holdridge and wife Sheri, Mary Mechling, Joe Holdridge and wife Lesley, and Michael Holdridge; and by his five grandchildren: Gregory and Kimberly Auer, and Christopher, Austin, and Brian Greber. The funeral ceremony will be held on Monday, August 8, 2011 at Benito and Azzaro Pacific Gardens Chapel, beginning at 10:30 a.m. A private burial will take place on August 9, at Holy Cross Cemetery in Santa Cruz. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent to the St. Francis Soup Kitchen, Valley Churches United, or another favorite charity.