Marilyn Mandle Dick’s life was celebrated in a beautiful and moving service at Sequoyah Hills Presbyterian Church on March 9, 2019. Her 95-year life inspired countless people, including her late husband, James Dick, founder of the Joy of Music School. She put a lot of her personal joy into the Joy of Music School in our 21 years. Her support for the work of our kids and their teachers never wavered. The service was dominated by loving musical performances of all kinds. A string quartet featured Samantha Hearn, Rebecca Hearn, Zachary Miller and Christy Graffeo (wife of JoMS Executive Director Frank Graffeo). Andrew Skoog and Eunsook Jung—both former JoMS teachers—played a piano/organ duet. They are both musicians in the employ of the Church. A UT student brass ensemble in the balcony played antiphonal refrains with Ms. Jung on organ. Fittingly, the gathered mourners, many musicians among them, sang hymns with more vocal heft and musicality than an average congregation. Bill Barron delivered a heartfelt eulogy and farewell to a beloved soul.

A couple of moments at Mrs. Dick’s service stood out as glowing testimonies to the legacy she and her late husband, James, will leave behind. JoMS volunteer teacher Ashlee Booth and her student, Autumn, delivered a particularly appealing cello duet. One of our graduates, Breyon Ewing, delivered a soaring vocal solo. While he was still a JoMS student, Breyon also sang in the 2011 memorial service celebrating Mr. Dick’s life in that same building.