Grief for Erich Haller: Aalen says goodbye to her esteemed dean

Grief for Erich Haller: Aalen says goodbye to her esteemed dean

In Aalen, people say goodbye to a special man: Erich Haller, who worked as a dean in the city from 1993 to 2007, died on June 29, 2025 in the Ostalbklinikum. The funeral service, which took place on the forest cemetery on July 7, 2025, attracted a large number of mourners who wanted to give Haller a worthy last escort. His loss meets the community, who knew him as a "sober and pious" people with a large heart for diakonia and church concerns, deep.

strongly connected to the city of Aalen, Haller was born in Stuttgart and grew up there. He had his first rectory as a youth pastor in Stuttgart before being appointed to the Aalen City Church on August 20, 1993, used by Prelate Rolf Scheffbuch. During his 14-year term, he campaigned for numerous projects that enriched the Evangelical Community. This included the foundation of the Ostalb district diaconal association, the establishment of an outpatient hospice service and the installation of a new organ in the town church.

a worthy farewell

The funeral service started with a solemn funeral procession from the chapel to the middle of the forest cemetery. The trombone choir, which played hymns and thus reinforced the ceremonial mood, provided musical accompaniment. Dean i.r. Ursula Richter and pastor Caroline Bender led the funeral service. They quoted a Bible word that Haller had chosen for his funeral.

Landrat a.d. Klaus Pavel paid tribute to Haller on behalf of the Mayor of Aalen and the Rotary Club as a “fine man” who had always brought himself into the community. Haller had not only selected songs for the ceremony, including "what God does, that is comfortable" and "The moon has risen", but also with the trombone choir, which at the open grave the final school of the Johannes Oratorium by J.S. Bach played a last musical accent.

a life for the community

After retiring on March 31, 2007, Erich Haller remained with his wife Irene in Aalen and continued to be involved in the community. He was a member of the State Synod and the Board of Trustees of the Samaritan Foundation in Nürtingen. He remained active on the board of the Diakoniefförderverein by 2023 and also chaired the local history association. Haller leaves a lively memory of his tireless efforts and his deeply rooted connection to the city of Aalen.

his many years of activity and the numerous projects he initiated are a lasting legacy that the city of Aalen will continue to shape. The mourning around Erich Haller shows how much he was anchored in the hearts of the people and his work also sounds beyond death.

For further information and reviews of his life, read the reports on Schwäbische Post and Schwäbische.de .