Ehlers’ Joy Was ‘His’ Special Pupils

CAPE MAY – “Nothing made my brother happier than to see his special kids succeed,” said Leroy Ehlers about his brother Gosch Loy, who served the Cape May County Special Services School District for over 20 years and died Jan. 16. 
“He worked hard, and he played hard,” Ehlers said. “It was really important to him to include the latest technology into the school, and he made it a point to look at each individual student and figure out what was best for each one individually.”
Ehlers joined the Special Services School District as a teacher in 1976, when it was a new program. Its schools offered educational and therapeutic services for students of elementary and high school age from across the county with emotional or physical disabilities that could not be addressed by their sending districts.
He also served as assistant principal and superintendent; he retired in 1999.
To honor his brother’s memory and dedication to the students, Ehlers made a $100 donation to the school to be used as the school sees fit for the students.
In addition, Ehlers, a woodworker who lives in South Carolina, is making wooden puzzles of Cape May scenes for free. He is urging those who order one to donate to the school in his brother’s memory.
“It’s not a lot, but it’s a start,” Ehlers said about the donation. “I’m taking photos from the Cool Cape May Facebook page and making wooden puzzles, ranging from 35-80 pieces. Their size depends on the photo, but I’ve already got a list of about a hundred people who asked me to make them a puzzle from a photo on the page. I’m not charging for the puzzle, instead asking people to make a donation to the school. It’s the best way to honor my brother.”
The five Ehlers sons grew up in Cape May, after moving there in 1945 when their father was stationed on a Coast Guard cutter based in Cape May.
Loy graduated from Cape May High School in 1956 and attended Eastern Baptist College (now Eastern University), St. Davids, Pa.
It was while he was working at a school for special needs children in the Philadelphia area that he developed his passion that lasted throughout his lifetime, according to his younger brother.
“I remember that he was disappointed in the services that the students were receiving,” Ehlers said, “because they were not targeting specific needs. They were doing things for the masses instead of looking at what each student needed individually to succeed.
“He loved his students, he talked about them all the time,” he added.
As a college student, G. Loy Ehlers III, of Morehead, N.C., recalled substitute teaching at the school during college breaks.
“I remember how happy my father was there, how he always had a smile,” his son said. “We’d walk through the halls, and each child would come up and give him a hug. He knew every detail about each individual: their name, diagnosis, challenges, about their family and where they lived.
“He had such a passion for the children,” Ehlers III said. “I was always struck by the teachers, who would go out of their way to express their love for him. He was universally loved it seems, and we heard so many stories about him during the funeral. It really helps soften the blow of his death.”
To give some idea of his sensitivity, kindness, and innovation, Ehlers recalled that the school was expanded considerably during his brother’s tenure and he is credited with 20 major improvement projects.
One example revolved around the various halls and corridors used to connect the buildings. Occasionally, these hallways would meet at a particular juncture.
“Loy selected a particular theme, summertime, I believe, and had each of the students take a sheet of paper and draw something they liked about summertime in Cape May,” his brother recalled.
“He then took these pictures to a tile company in upstate New York and had the pictures made into tiles. The tiles were placed on the walls at the juncture of the school’s corridors.
“Can you imagine the feeling students had seeing their pictures as permanent tiles placed on the walls of the schools?” he said. “Those tiles are still there today. Imagine how the parents of those children felt seeing their designs on display.”
In another facility design, Ehlers said his brother wanted to provide a means for those confined to wheelchairs to engage in water exercises.
“He had a rather large pool designed with a floor that was raised to the room’s floor level,” Ehlers said. “Students would wheel out onto the elevated pool floor, which was then lowered, allowing students to swim free and enjoy the water with trained therapists who would assist them when needed.”
In another specially-made room, children with profound physical needs were placed on specially-made bean bags where they performed limited mental and physical exercises, Ehlers said. “Occasionally one of the students would fall from the specially-made bag,” he noted. “Not only was the floor specially cushioned to absorb the fall, but built-in sensors would turn on built-in heaters to ensure students were not on cold floors.
“Outside elevated gardens were built so that wheelchairs fit under them,” he continued. “Students could place themselves at the edge of the garden and plant various types of plants and flowers.
“Generations of special needs students will benefit from Loy’s ability to apply technology to meet specific student needs and demonstrate to them that their special challenges need not limit their ability to participate in everyday activities,” he said.
“His leadership, infectious smile and personality, boundless energy, and dedication to his immediate and school family will be sorely missed,” his brother added.
Anyone wanting to order a wooden puzzle or make a donation in Ehlers’ memory can contact his brother at l.ehlers@charter.net for details.
To contact Karen Knight, email kknight@cmcherald.com.