Chris Prokesh Compoz Sauthoff on Fb, 1/23/20: Last night a student came to my 7 pm class and said that there were paramedics here and that someone was having problems in the ladies room. At 8 a dear friend and student came down to the jam in clear shock. He was whispering to a couple of our jam folk and I could just feel the sadness. Sure enough he was crying. That’s when I found out that we lost our Kelly, our beloved choir director for more than 20 yrs.
I held back tears and ran upstairs to the front office and got confirmation and then ran out to find Ed, her husband and another cherished teacher and member of our community. I expressed my condolences and we stood there hugging and crying for a bit. Then I went back down to lead the jam. I was asked if we should cancel and immediately shut that idea down. We played songs to send her home. Folky gospel with a blues song in the middle. It was a very meaningful jam. The power of music and community was very strong.
Be good to yourself and others. Take no day for granted. Tell your loved ones that you love them. I love you.