Person Page - 1506

     Raymond L. Erdman was born on 16 May 1924, Ashland, Schuylkill County, PA.¹ He was the son of Leo Leonard Erdman and Tama A. Schlegel.² Raymond L. Erdman died on 22 May 1924, Ashland, Schuylkill County, PA.¹ He was buried on 23 May 1924, at St, Michael's Lutheran Church Cemetery, Klingerstown, Schuylkill County, PA.^3,1

     Paul Bryant Erdman was born on 20 June 1922, Dornsife RD, Northumberland County, PA.² He was the son of Leo Leonard Erdman and Tama A. Schlegel.¹ Paul Bryant Erdman married Mary Catherine Dagostino, daughter of Stephen Dagostino and Mary R. Kinnerney, on 20 September 1947, Hornell, Steuben County, NY.^3,4 Paul Bryant Erdman died on 15 November 2004, Fairport, Monroe County, NY, at age 82.^2,5
Newspaper obituary:
Erdman, Paul B.
FAIRPORT: November 15, 2004. Predeceased by wife, Mary Catherine. Survived by daughter, Patricia (Merton) Edwards; grandson, Zach Edwards; granddaughter, Katie Edwards; sister, Joan Close of PA; aunts, uncles, cousins and in-laws. Founding partner of Erdman Anthony Assoc., retired in 1989, veteran of WWII, Airport Exchange Club and the ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers). Calling hours Wednesday 4-7 at the Richard H. Keenan Funeral Home, Egypt location 7501 Pittsford-Palmyra Rd., Route 31, Fairport Funeral Mass Thursday 9:00 AM at the Church of the Assumption, Fairport. Interment, St. Mary's Cemetery, Hornell, NY. In lieu of flowers, please consider the American Heart Association.
Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, New York), 17 Nov 2004, Wed, Page 14.⁶
He was buried on 18 November 2004, at Saint Mary's Cemetery, Fremont, Steuben County, NY.^5,7

     Ellis Elwood Erdman was born on 7 April 1926, Ashland, Schuylkill County, PA.² He was the son of Leo Leonard Erdman and Tama A. Schlegel.¹ Ellis Elwood Erdman died on 10 February 1997, Summerfield, Guilford County, NC, at age 70.^2,3,4
Newspaper obituary:
ELLIS E. "WOODY" ERDMAN
SUMMERFIELD, NC -- Mr. Ellis E. "Woody" Erdman, 70, of 3205 Oak Ridge Rd., died Monday, February 10, 1997 at his residence.
A native of Ashland, Pennsylvania, Mr. Erdman was a veteran of the U.S. Army Air Corps during WWII. He served as a gunner on a B-29 in the South Pacific.
Based on Tinian in the Solomon Islands, he flew bombing missions over Japan. He was honorably discharged in 1958 as a First Lieutenant of the U.S. Air Force Reserve. Mr. Erdman was a graduate of Penn State, class of 1949. He was a sports broadcaster for Syracuse University and for the New York Giants. He was a former owner of the Boston Celtics and the Oakland Seals. Included in Mr. Erdman's principal ownership and chief executive history were international finance, advertising, marketing, medical technology, petroleum, commercial film production and distribution, general aviation and radio.
Surviving are: wife of 48 years, Mrs. Phebe Weeks Erdman, of the home; son and daughter-in-law: Hans Louis and Ellen Marsden Erdman, of Circle Pines, MN; daughter and son-in-law: Leslie Louise and Leonid S. Chekin and grandson, Peter L. Chekin, of Washington, DC; daughter: Rebecca Weeks Erdman, of Greensboro; sister: Joan Close, of Selinsgrove, PA; brother: Paul B. Erdman, of Hornell, NY; and nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Guildford County Library, Benjamin Parkway Branch, 1530 Benjamin Parkway, Greensboro, NC 27408.
Hanes-Lineberry Funeral Home N. Elm Chapel is serving the family of Mr. Erdman.
The Ithaca Journal (Ithaca, New York), 11 Feb 1997, Tue, Page 4.
Another obituary included a more detailed account of his business activities:
Ellis E. 'Woody' Erdman, once owned Boston Celtics
Ellis E. "Woody" Erdman, Summerfield, N.C., a Butler Township native who built a business empire that once included the legendary Boston Celtics basketball club and the now-defunct Oakland Seals hockey team, died Monday at his home after a lengthy illness.
He was a son of the late Leo and Tama Schlagle Erdman. A 1943 graduate of Butler Township High School, he graduated in 1949 from Penn State University. While at Penn State he developed an interest in broadcasting, beginning a career that grew into a broadcasting empire and eventually branched out into other business interests including advertising, marketing, international finance, medical technology, petroleum, general aviation, commercial film production and distribution and radio.
Erdman never fully retired said his sister Joan Close, Selinsgrove. "He always kept his finger in business pretty much to the end," said Close.
While Erdman's business ventures were many and varied, he is probably best known as a broadcasting magnate who was a major player in the world of sports.
A veteran of the Army Air Corps during World War II, he served as a B-29 gunner in the South Pacific, flying bombing missions over Japan from a base on Tinian in the Solomon Islands.
His civilian career in broadcasting included stops at stations in Bloomsburg and Elmira, N.Y. Following his discharge as a first lieutenant of the Air Force Reserve in 1958, he was instrumental in developing Syracuse University's first sports broadcasting network.
"Our games were on a local station in Syracuse but we wanted to expand statewide. When the local station showed no interest, Mr. Erdman, who owned a station (WTKO) in Ithaca, put together : a statewide network for Syracuse sports," recalled Larry Kimball, director of sports information at Syracuse University.
The first year Erdman's 36-station network began broadcasting the Orangemen's football games, Syracuse won the national championship. That was the start of a trend that continued throughout his sports broadcasting career. In 1963 Erdman founded a 100-station network for the New York football Giants, from Maine to Montreal and south to New Orleans. The network was, at the time, the largest single sports radio network in the North America. That season the Giants were Eastern Division champions.
In August of 1969, Erdman's Trans-National Communications Inc. purchased the World Champion Boston Celtics for a then-record: $6 million. Erdman was chairman of the board for the NBA team until selling the franchise in 1971.
Professional sports team owners in those days were not the hands-on, active in the running of the team types that are prevalent today.
Legendary former Celtics coach and General Manager Red Auerbach remembered Erdman as "one of the old time type owners." "He was very much a hands off type," said Auerbach, who is president of the Celtics. "I remember he was a very bright guy with a good sense of humor who liked to take chances on different business ventures."
Another of those ventures was the Oakland Seals hockey team, a now-defunct NHL franchise that Trans-National also owned.
Erdman also established radio networks for the New York Jets of the NFL, Army football and New York Knicks basketball. The Knicks network, like the Giants network, was at the time the largest professional basketball radio network in the country.
In addition to his many business ventures, he was a life member of Penn State Alumni Association, serving as a member of the Council of the National Penn State Alumni Association.
Erdman also was a member of the Governor's Club of New York and helped found Eisenhower College and served as a member of the National Council of Friends and the President's Council.
Surviving is his wife of 48 years, the former Phebe Weeks; two daughters Leslie Louise Chekin, Washington, D.C., and Rebecca Weeks Erdman, Greensboro, N.C; a sister Joan Close, Selinsgrove; a brother, Paul B., Hornell, N.Y; a grandson; nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held later. Hanes-Lineberry Funeral Home, Greensboro, is in charge of the arrangements.
Pottsville Republican, February 11, 1997, Page 3.^5,6

     Joan Marie Erdman was born in 1932, Ashland, Schuylkill County, PA.^2,3 She was the daughter of Leo Leonard Erdman and Tama A. Schlegel.¹ Joan Marie Erdman married Joseph J. Close, son of Joseph Close and Kathryn Brady, circa 1953.^4,1,5 Joan Marie Erdman died on 17 September 2023.³
Funeral home obituary:
Joan M. Close
1932 - 2023
Penfield, formerly of Selinsgrove, PA: Passed away Sunday, September 17 at the age of 91. Survived by daughter, Kimberly (Joshua) Segal; grandchildren, Olivia and Maxwell Segal and Nikolas Scott; nieces and nephews. Born in Ashland Pa., Joan was the daughter of the late Leo and Tama Erdman and is preceded in death by her husband, Joseph, daughter Pamela Scott and son, Michael. Interment at Northumberland Memorial Park, Stonington, Pa. at the family’s convenience. Memorials may be directed to Hospice Care at UR Medicine Homecare.³

     Joseph J. Close was born on 21 March 1932, Minersville, Schuylkill County, PA.^2,3 He was the son of Joseph Close and Kathryn Brady.² Joseph J. Close married Joan Marie Erdman, daughter of Leo Leonard Erdman and Tama A. Schlegel, circa 1953.^2,1,4 Joseph J. Close died on 10 June 2008, Webster, Monroe County, NY, at age 76.²
Newspaper obituary:
Joseph J. Close
June 10, 2008
Joseph J. Close, 76, of Webster, N.Y., formerly of Selinsgrove, passed away Tuesday.
Born in Minersville, he was a son ot the late Joseph and Kathryn Brady Close.
He was an Army veteran of the Korean War.
He was preceded in death by a son, Michael.
Surviving are his wife of 55 years, Joan; daughters, Pamela (Ronald) Scott and Kimberly (Joshua) Segal; grandchildren, Nickolas Scott and Olivia and Maxwell Segal; nieces, nephews and friends.
Friends are invited to a visitation at 10:30 a.m. Monday with funeral services to follow at 11 a.m. at the Chapel of Northumberland Memorial Park, 2956 State Route 61, Sunbury Memorials may be directed to Wesley Gardens Nursing Facility, 3 Upton Pike, Rochester, NY 14607 or a charity of choice. Willard H. Scott Funeral Home, Webster, is in charge of arrangements.
Republican and Herald (Pottsville, Pennsylvania), 12 Jun 2008, Thu, Page A12.²