Dwight Leo Herrmann

Dwight Leo Herrmann died surrounded by loved ones on March 16, 2026. He was 95 years old.

Dwight grew up in Appleton City Missouri, the son of dentist Leo Herrmann and piano teacher and choir director Vera (neé Andersen). He was sent to the East Coast for education by his aunt the pianist Stell Andersen and her companion Esther McCullough, and survived Choate enough to attend Columbia and then Wesleyan University, where he cemented his lifelong loves of tennis, squash and singing.

Dwight enlisted to fight in the Korean War, but had the good sense to step up in Germany on the way to the front, when asked whether anyone could type (even though maybe he couldn’t). Thus he spent the Korean War as secretary to a general in Europe, which allowed plenty of time for tennis and travel with his parents, sister Joyce, Stell and Esther.

Stateside, Dwight earned an engineering degree from Rensselear Polytechnic Institute.  His first big job took him to Madison, WI, where he met and married Leslye Hess, who shared his love of music and sense of possibility. Together they weathered many ups and downs. He was the ultimate Girl Dad before it was a thing, proudly raising four daughters with optimism and high expectations, never condescending or losing a tennis or Scrabble game on purpose.  They made a home on a hilltop outside Montoursville, PA, so the girls would have plenty of opportunity to try things and make mistakes, with advice and assistance available upon request. If you wanted to roll down the hill in a giant tractor wheel, he suggested a route with fewer rocks. If you wanted a horse, he’d build the barn, but you had to put up the electric fence yourself and help bale the hay. If you wanted a car, he scraped together a few hundred dollars and would let you have it after you could back all the way around the circular drive and change the tires (don’t worry about that smell… it’s fine!). If you wanted to host a big party, he took everyone’s keys and stayed around all night to keep an eye on things.  If your car maybe wasn’t fine and caught fire on your way to work, he’d pick you up after your shift.

Dwight was always full of ideas, and never stopped tinkering and planning some new venture. He and Leslye suffered various business losses and Leslye’s illnesses, but Dwight’s natural optimism always helped him find a way forward. When he was around 60, he took Pennsylvania’s civil service exam, and became one of two engineers who reviewed all state building projects, enjoying the challenge of learning new CAD programs and building systems enough to work well into his eighties.

Dwight loved being with family, as many as could be pulled together. He looked forward to annual gatherings of the kids and grandkids (aka HerrmannPalooza), which always included a spirited singing of “I’m Goin Back to Whur I Come From,” with Dwight playing the guitar or gutbucket.

After Leslye passed in 2018, Dwight moved to the Pittsburgh area and joined the community at Masonic Village.  There he had the incredible good fortune of meeting Linda Kable while playing ping pong. She was his beloved companion until the end.

Dwight is survived by daughters Leslye Herrmann (David Binion) of Pittsburgh, PA, Elizabeth Herrmann (Jacob Tropp) of Bristol, VT, Jane Herrmann (Andrew Latimer) of Davis, CA, and Susannah Herrmann (Ketil Freeman) of Seattle, WA; and his grandchildren Stefan Binion (Rebecca Kuang), Aleksander Binion (Yichun Shi), Rosa Tropp, Samuel Tropp, Freya Latimer, Susannah Latimer, and Iris Freeman.

The family will have a private memorial HerrmannPalooza. In lieu of flowers, contributions in his name may be made to the American Civil Liberties Union or Pittsburgh Concert Chorale.