‘Everybody knew him’: Northwest Indiana arts icon Larry Brechner dies

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Longtime Northwest Indiana arts icon Larry Brechner, 71, died Thursday morning at his home, which he affectionately called Brechwood.

A stunned arts community is remembering Brechner as a person who loved the arts but especially loved people.

“I can’t even tell you how long I’ve known him,” Chesterton Arts Center Executive Director Hannah Hammond-Hagman said. “Larry was everywhere, and he knew everyone.”

“He was just the nicest guy. He worked hard to build connections between artists and people and organizations,” she said. “It’s a huge loss.”

Brechner founded the Highland Theatre Company at Highland High School’s Monbeck Auditorium. Matt Domasica, the current director, grew up under Brechner’s tutelage.

“I knew Larry from a very young age,” Domasica said. He met Brechner’s wife, Carol, first as a student in a Northern Indiana Arts Association class back in the day. Domasica then studied under Brechner.

Then the Highland High School auditorium was new, with Brechner in charge; Domasica was a student assistant, helping with things like lighting.

“Up to that point, they had different people doing the plays and musicals,” Domasica said, but Brechner made the musicals sing and zing, updating classics like “Fiddler on the Roof,” “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” and others.

“He really made everything fun and taught us a lot,” Domasica said.

“The thing about Larry was that he was always making some dad joke,” he said.

Brechner’s love of the arts was contagious. “He was fun to be around. He really was. He was a great guy, and he was an amazing educator,” Domasica said.

“Everybody knew him, and everybody loved him,” he said.

“He was a champion for all of us,” Hammond-Hagman said.

“He was just a very steady, guiding presence for me here at the Chesterton Arts Center,” where he had served as a board member, she said. “He led with humor, and he led with passion.”

“He was always quick with a joke when you needed it the most,” Hammond-Hagman said.

“He would show up with a festive necktie on for whatever event, and it was such a conversation starter,” she said. “We’re just going to miss him.”

“His family was just sacred to him,” Hammond-Hagman said. “He always had them front of mind.”

Brechner’s daughter, Lauren Brechner, made the necessary calls and posted on social media when her father died. “The outpouring is huge,” she said.

Arrangements are pending, with a memorial service planned at some point.

“He was always on. The guy you met and everyone else, that was my dad at home. Just jovial, dedicated,” she said.

Brechner got Lauren involved in the arts at a young age. About 8 months old, actually.

“They put me on stage,” she said, at Highland High School. “I was the baby in their high school production of ‘Fiddler on the Roof.’”

“I was in shows at least once a year as a kid,” she said. “He just wanted to involve me as early as possible. I know he was so proud to be a dad.”

Brechner often worked his family into conversations. His wife, Carol, was always on his mind. “He adored her,” Lauren said.

“He gave so much to so many people, and yet he would do anything just to have Mom by his side,” she said. “He loved family. Even when he was super busy, he would always make the time.”

Lauren went on to play the saxophone and got a degree in music. “I actually got to play in the pit for some of my dad’s productions in Munster,” she said.

Brechner, an accomplished photographer, had served on the board of the Valparaiso Creative Council, Executive Director Jessica Corral said.

“I was introduced to him back when I did Spring into the Arts for Valparaiso Community Schools,” she said. Corral was an art teacher then and organized the all-school art festival.

Brechner wanted to cover it for his Art on the Air program with co-host Ester Golden on WVLP-FM.

“I was blessed and honored to learn who he is and really get an identity of how he served the arts in multiple capacities,” Corral said.

“It was through this connection that we were able to showcase him as one of our early artists,” displaying his photos in 2024.

“He has his own talent; he has his own love of the arts,” she said.

“He was a huge advocate, always very jovial, always very forthcoming with information,” Corral said, and connected people “without question and without hesitation.”

Brechner was a rare breed, even in the arts community. “You can tell that they’ve submerged themselves in the arts through their lifetime. That’s a historical context that’s hard to lose.”

Brechner was a skilled interviewer. “There’s this conversation nuance that he encouraged that many people don’t have a talent for,” Corral said.

So many people are lost in their own routines and in their phones. Brechner was not one to just let someone walk by unnoticed, she said.

“The arts are important because it brings so many people together,” Lauren, his daughter, said.

“What I learned from him is it’s all about people,” no matter what you do, she said. “That is the joy of life,” being around people and creating with them.

Lauren started a business a few years ago. Her dad was supportive. “You’re doing things! It’s great!”

“The interview, the art of conversation, is really important to him,” she said. “He could find something in people and extract it in a way.”

Brechner was born in Hammond, the only child of Kenneth E. Brechner and Eloise A. Brechner (Stonebreaker). He leaves behind his wife Carol Lynn Brechner (James), daughter Lauren Brechner, stepdaughter Jamie Hillegonds, stepson David Hillegonds, daughter-in-law Shayla Steward, four grandchildren (Carlie, Brooke, Grayson and Alexandra), and extended “adopted” children he so dearly considered family.

Brechner earned his doctorate in fine arts in 2007 from Breyer State University following his master’s degree in telecommunications in 1994 and bachelor’s in 1980 from what is now Purdue University Northwest.

He retired in June 2016 as the Munster High School auditorium director, managing all 70 annual events as well as producing four productions per season from 1998-2016.

In 2016, he was honored to be inducted into the Indiana Thespian Hall of Fame, recognizing over 31 years as an outstanding theater educator and theater director.

Doug Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.