Jeffrey Mackay
Fellow Titans,
It is with a mix of great saddness and love that I announce the passing of our classmate Stuart Remington. He died January 17, 2023 from complications of advanced daibetes and kidney failure. A very long tortured road.
Many of you will remember Stu as a photographer for the school mewspaper, and as a drummer with the Stage Band. It was there that Stu met Steve Camp that genius pianist and we formed Soapstone Mountain . That was our first foray into being live musicians. For fifty five years we played together with other folks that came and went. But that nucleus of Stu, Steve, and myself was constant. And like all of you we considered ourselves blesseed to come of age during one of the most incredible musical revolutions in history.
The Beatles, Stones, Hendrix, The Who, Santana, Dylan, Grateful Dead, Zeppelin, Spirit, Tull. If they came through Salt Lake we saw them live. That music shaped us as people and is still relevant and resonates today.
I fondly remember one excited fan gushing over our band in Park City one night saying, " I can't believe you're a cover band!" To which Stu shot back," Thanks, but so is the Utah Symphony"! And if you think about it every symphony orchestra in the world "covers" Bethoven, Chopin, Mozart, Etc. Our criteria was, if its great music then keep playing it.
But Stu was more than a musician. He was devoted to his siblings. Jeri, Bruce, and Lois are also Olympus alumni. They were property owners together. They vacationed together. They cared for each other. They were and are an example of love and friendship that is possible when siblings respect and love one another.
Though Stu never married , he had several significant relationships. And in his declining years I often reflected on how blessed I am to have a wife and kids that love me and I was worried that Stu was alone. But his siblings and friends filled that gap. Stu was never lonely and always cared for. Just a few weeks ago I was telling him what an inspiration he was to me. He got a blank unknowing look on his face and I said, "Stu, most people in your situation would just give up or put agun in their mouth. But when I ask you how you are doing, you always say the same thing; " pretty good, all things considered!" "I don't want to be a burden to my loved ones!"
Well Stu you were never a burden. And my life is richer for knowing you.
P.S. To Elder Dale Renlund, I confess. I'm the guy that stuffed the unpeeled orange up the chute of the vending machine just moments before you tried to buy an orange crush. Did you ever get your quarter back ?
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