03/03/2026
It’s with sadness, but forever fond memories, that we share the news of Mr. James Erbe’s passing. Our prayers are with Janet, Jennifer, Laurel and the entire Erbe family.
The family has asked that memorials be directed to the Erbe Scholarship via the Cedar Rapids Community Schools Foundation. The scholarship is provided annually to a Jefferson or Kennedy senior who is active in technical theater at their schools, the same schools where Mr. and Mrs. Erbe dedicated their career in educational theater.
You can donate in one of two ways:
Online at www.crcsf.com/donate
(Note ‘Erbe Scholarship’ in the tribute section.)
Or via mail:
Erbe Scholarship
c/o Cedar Rapids Community Schools Foundation
2500 Edgewood Rd NW
Cedar Rapids, IA 52405
The family shared this memory of a life of love, care and creativity:
James Lynn Erbe, 78, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Monday, March 2, 2026. He is survived by his wife Janet, daughters Jennifer Kennedy (Wesley) and Laurel Slater (Shawn), and grandsons Evan Slater (20), Riley Slater (20), Adam Kennedy (20), and Ashton Kennedy (29).
James was born in Washington, Iowa and lived in many places across the Midwest. His parents, Wesley and Margaret Erbe were educators, with his father serving as education professor at the University of Michigan and the University of Iowa. His older brothers, Richard and Allan, were notorious for roping “Jimmy” into pranks and causing chaos wherever they went.
James graduated from Bowling Green State University in 1969 with degrees in English and Speech Education. It was there that he met the love of his life, Janet Campbell. They were married on June 13, 1970, and lived in Cedar Rapids, Iowa for most of their time together. Only grandsons and Mickey Mouse could lure them away, and they moved to Davenport, Florida in 2008.
James was an educator first and foremost, teaching junior and senior high language arts and speech classes for the Cedar Rapids Community School District. Though his impact in the classroom was great, he will be lovingly remembered as the longtime technical director at both Kennedy and Jefferson High Schools. His students remember him for his jaw-dropping sets and beautifully painted backdrops, and his daughters will always remember him for building the most incredible pirate ships.
James and Janet had a love for adventure and sharing their passion for the theater with others. They spent their first summer as newlyweds running the theater at a youth summer camp in Canada. They went north again as young parents to work several summers at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Fine Arts Camp. With Jenny and Laurel in tow, the time in Alaska and the sites they saw along the way there and back are favorite family memories.
Outside of school, James served as the original scenic designer and technical director for The Follies in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He also designed for Theatre Cedar Rapids, the Cedar Rapids Symphony Guild, and Children’s Theater of Cedar Rapids. Following retirement, he served as an online professor for the University of Wisconsin-Stout, teaching educators how to create online resources.
As we think of the life James Erbe lived, the family would like you to remember him as the passionate, creative, and tremendously loving man he was. If you want to honor him, please consider contributing to the Cedar Rapids Community School District Foundation’s Erbe Scholarship, providing scholarships for high school students in technical theater at both Kennedy and Jefferson High Schools. His legacy lives on in the lives of all the people who knew him, were taught by him, and loved him.
https://crcsf.com/donate