Sycamore couple's 44-year music ministry at Salem Lutheran set for tribute drive-by parade Sunday

SYCAMORE - Ron and Carla Vanatta will celebrate 44 years of music ministry with Salem Lutheran Church of Sycamore on Sunday, Aug. 23, with a drive-by parade in the church’s parking lot located at 1145 DeKalb Ave. in Sycamore starting at 5 p.m.

Well-wishers are invited to join the parade or send cards to Salem Lutheran Church, 1145 DeKalb Ave., Sycamore, Illinois 60178.

For more information about Salem Lutheran Church, call 815-895-9171 or visit www.salemsycamore.org.

The couple began their music ministry on Sept. 1, 1976, shortly after their June 12 marriage.

Ron Vanatta grew up in the Kaneville community and began to study piano with his mother, Martha Jeanne, at age 5, progressing with other teachers including Richard Johnson of the Aurora Conservatory of Music. He was a 1971 graduate of Kaneland High School. He earned a Bachelor of Music Education from NIU in 1975, majoring in pipe organ and studying with Dr. Robert Reeves. He taught K-12 music one year for the Warren schools and then was hired for the position of organist at Salem Lutheran Church.

Carla Johnson Vanatta grew up on a farm in rural Sycamore and studied piano and organ with locally with Helen Dean. Carla Vanatta enrolled in the NIU Music program with Dr. Edna Jordan as her voice coach and was offered a scholarship for an experimental music study program at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria, her sophomore year. She returned to finish studies at NIU, marry and graduate with a Bachelor of Music Education degree, vocal major, in 1977. Prior to Salem ministry, Carla Vanatta directed the adult choir of Bethany Baptist Church.

They began team music ministry, which has supported Salem worship ever since. The couple inherited a graded choir ministry of four vocal choirs from former director John Weaver and went on to build a full creative arts program offering Sounds of Grace Handbells since 1988 and Salem Puppet Praise Team since 2000.

Interested in piano tuning since his teens, Ron Vanatta studied with David Graham at NIU and became a Registered Piano Technician of the Piano Technician’s Guild in 1989, tuning and repairing pianos locally as Vanatta Piano Service.

In 1982, Carla Vanatta expanded her Salem ministry and studied part-time at the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago and completed other coursework and church candidacy processes to become Commissioned in 1995 as the first Associate in Ministry of the Northern Illinois Synod Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA).

The Vanattas raised two sons in Sycamore, Andy (Sarah Lief) and Todd (Shannon Steinbis), who were also active in Sycamore School Music and 1996 and 2000 Sycamore High School graduates. Both have remained in the community after college, Andy serving as a network security specialist with DeKalb County and Todd as a physical therapist with Northern Rehab. Ron and Carla Vanatta have four grandchildren: Josh Lief, Jenny Lief, Hunter Vanatta and Izzy Vanatta.