Irvin Edwin Erb

1897 - 1991  (94 years)

• Name	Irvin Edwin Erb
  Born	4 Apr 1897	Elmira, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [1, 2]
  Gender	Male
  Occupation	1921	Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [2]
  	Broker, ?
  Residence	1921	26 Bingeman St., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [2]
  Residence	1921	Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [2]
  	Methodist
  Died	29 Oct 1991	Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  Buried	1 Nov 1991	Woodland Cem., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  Hall of Fame - Waterloo Region	Bef 2012	, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [3]
  Military	WW1
  Residence	Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [4]
  Eby ID Number	Waterloo-116653P
  Person ID	I116653	Generations
  Last Modified	7 Nov 2024

  
  

  Father	Ephraim Bricker Erb,   b. 26 Mar 1867, Roseville, North Dumfries Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 29 Jun 1931, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 64 years)
  Mother	Emily Harrison "Lillian" Lee,   b. 10 Aug 1872, Finsbury, , England, Great Britain ,   d. 18 Jul 1967, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 94 years)
  Married	25 Mar 1891	Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [5]
  Family ID	F10586	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Selma Elizabeth "Sally" Meyschein,   b. 20 Aug 1907, Toronto, York Co., Ontario, Canada ,   d. 27 Sep 1999, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 92 years)
  Children	1. Catherine Lee "Cathie" Erb   2. Margaret Elizabeth "Marge" Erb   3. Rev. Canon John Edwin Erb,   b. 13 Sep 1932, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 31 Jul 2005, Toronto, York Co., Ontario, Canada  (Age 72 years)
  Last Modified	12 Nov 2024
  Family ID	F252213	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Photos

  Irvin E. Erb

  
  

• Notes

  Irvin E. Erb, who was born in Elmira, lived in Berlin from age two, became interested in rugby, hockey and baseball as a participant at an early age and played on Frank Selke's Union Jack Junior Hockey team in Berlin in 1914. Through the years, as a player and promoter, he made a tremendous contribution to amateur sports. Following service with the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Air Force in World War I he established an insurance agency in Kitchener. He directed the first Poppy Day and was partly responsible for the erection of the cenotaph, now located at the corner of Duke and Frederick Streets in Kitchener. In 1929 he was a co-promoter with C.D. "Buller" Pequegnat in the building. Waterloo Region Hall of Fame _____________________________ Irvin Erb, sportsman and active K-W citizen Irvin Erb, a Kitchener insurance agent for more than 65 years, sportsman and founding member of the Air Cadet League of Canada, died today at his Waterloo home. He was 94. One of the Twin Cities most colorful and outspoken citizens, Erb was a descendant of early Waterloo County settlers, born in Elmira and brought to Berlin (Kitchener) in 1899. He was active in sports, beginning a career in organized hockey in 1914, when, at 17, he played for Frank Selke's Kitchener Union Jacks. As a player, Erb was a defensive star, checking tenaciously. He also played with the 1922 Kitchener Intermediate OHA championship team and was manager of the intermediates (then Panthers) in 1928 when they went to the OHA finals. In 1914, Erb, who was the first tire adjuster for Dominion Tire Co., now Uniroyal, was transferred to Toronto. There, he played for the Parkdale Canoe Club where two National Hockey League stars spotted his talent. He was subsequently offered contracts with both the St. Pats (now the Maple Leafs) and also with the Montreal Maroons for $750 a year, plus free hockey sticks. He had to provide his own skates. He declined because he planned to establish his own business. Even last year, at 93, Erb attended hockey games regularly at the Auditorium. During the Depression, he supported the establishment of the Rockway golf course. At one time, Erb also held the Kitchener junior, senior and intermediate hockey franchises and coached lacrosse teams. In 1925, his father, Ephriam, joined him in his insurance business. Irvin continued to operate Erb and Erb Insurance until 1971 when he sold it to two long-time employees. Erb was the first president of the Kitchener Lions Club which he founded in 1937 and of No. 80 Squadron; Kitchener-Waterloo Air Cadets. In June 1990, Erb helped squadron members celebrate its 50th anniversary. He and the late C.D. (Buller) Pequegnat spearheaded the drive for the city's first municipal swimming pool. He enlisted in the Royal Flying Corps in the First World War, forerunner of the Royal Air Force and was commissioned as a lieutenant. He went to England where he served as a gunner and observer on coastal patrol. Throughout his life, Erb was a devout Christian and protested sex and obscenity in movies on many occasions. In 1977, he told Waterloo council that considering its population, the city was the worst spot in Canada for rampant smut. He begged council to take steps to banish pornographic literature, erotic movies and strippers. He directly attributed the increase in on-stage nudity to the influx of university students who are "ready to disrobe themselves under any circumstances." He told council nudity was spreading like wildfire. During the Second World War, Erb tried to enlist at 42 but was turned down. He went to Ottawa in 1941 where he helped to organize the Air Cadet League of Canada. In Kitchener, he directed the first Poppy Day for the Prince of Wales Chapter, Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire, and was instrumental in having the first memorial erected to the war dead. The five-metre cross was placed in front of the the former city hall. He also helped to organize a committee to build a cenotaph and was secretary of the committee. A member of the Westmount Golf and Country Club, the Granite Curling Club, an honorary member of the Lions Club and of the 404 Wing of the RCAF Association, Erb also belonged to the Kitchener Branch 50 of the Royal Canadian Legion and the Royal Air Force Club of London, England. Surviving are his wife of 60 years, two daughters, one son and three sisters. The funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Kitchener. Kitchener-Waterloo Record 29 Oct 1991 pg A10

  
  

• Sources

  [S137] Census - ON, Waterloo, Berlin - 1901, Berlin (Town/Ville) A-8 Page 3. [S2264] Census - ON, Waterloo, Kitchener - 1921, Sub Dist. 30 Page 9. [S220] Waterloo Region Hall of Fame Waterloo Region Hall of Fame. [S1890] Military - ON, Waterloo, Kitchener - Kitchener Public Library WW1 Soldiers Card Index Soldier Information Cards - World War One. [S721] Vit - ON - Marriage Registration, marriage certificate 11901 (1891), Erb-Lee. Ephraim Bricker Erb, 24, res. Berlin, b. Canada, merchant, s/o Menno & Lydia Bricker Erb., married Emily Harrison Lee, 18, res. Berlin, b. England, s/o John & Charlotte Billing Lee, witnesses, Wm. Cairnes of Berlin & Maggie Erb of Berlin, married 25 Mar 1891 at Berlin

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - 4 Apr 1897 - Elmira, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Occupation - Broker, ? - 1921 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Residence - Methodist - 1921 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Died - 29 Oct 1991 - Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Buried - 1 Nov 1991 - Woodland Cem., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Hall of Fame - Waterloo Region - Bef 2012 - , Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Residence - - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  = Link to Google Earth