WESTERLY — On Sunday, Oct. 20, friends of the late Marion Stedman Palm gathered in the George Kent Performance Hall of the Chorus of Westerly to pay tribute to a very generous woman who gave so much to so many. celebrate the life of
Widely known for her philanthropic work and a “forever benefactor and dear friend” of the choir, Ms. Palm leaves behind nephews and nieces, the choir family, and the many local residents and organizations she supported. He passed away in July last year. throughout her long life.
“For generations of us here in the choir, Marion has been more than a donor,” choir executive director Ryan Saunders said one day last week, as part of his Palm Award to the choir and its members. Talking about his extraordinary generosity, he said: “She was like a grandmother, aunt and friend to many of us.”
“We loved her,” he said, “and I know it went both ways.”
Sanders said Palm and the choir’s music director, Andrew Howell (whose official title is “Marion and Bill Palm Music Director”) had an especially close relationship.
Sanders said Howell visited Palm several times a week in her later years, “taking her for drives, having dinner with her, always giving her his love and the love of all of us.” ”.
The Oct. 20 event “is by no means a funeral,” Sanders said. “Marion made it very clear to us that she did not want to pay for a funeral or a large sum of money when she passed away.”
“But we couldn’t do that,” Sanders said. “She meant so much to all of us and we would like to send her off with love.”
“It’s going to be an opportunity for people to say nice things about her and come together in the halls that she literally saved,” he added.
Sanders said Palm has donated millions of dollars to the choir, from the recent renovation of Kent Hall to the many classical concerts the choir offers, including Christmas and Summer Pops and Twelfth Night. He said he helped sponsor everything from performances to tours to capital campaigns.
“She also bought a new boiler for Kent Hall 10 years ago,” he said, paying for program expansion, staffing and programming.
She said she gave the gift “because she believed in the choir and in all of us.” “She loved all of us. She believed in all of us. And she told us how much we believed in our mission and that we would always, always do it.” I knew I would do everything in my power to achieve it.”
“We know there are a lot of people who loved her,” Sanders said. “It’s amazing how many kids she quietly put through college.”
“Marion was a very special person. She was smarter than most, observant and curious. She was never shy about expressing her thoughts, but she was also fun and wonderful. ” he continued.
Sanders said the Palm was like a member of his family, so next week’s rally led by Howell will be a party for the Palm, where people can come together and share stories and memories in its name. He said it would happen.
“She was just a genuine, honest, genuine person of spirit,” he said, adding, “Andrew and I and so many of us will miss her so much.”
Sanders added that “Marion quietly took joy in helping others and helping them find a path to their dreams,” adding that Palm was “incredibly warm. He was said to have had a “generous, loving, and kind heart.”
Palm, who spent his summers in Weakpaug, lived in Leicester, Massachusetts for most of his adult life, and entered choral music singing under the direction of the famous Alfred Nash “Bud” Patterson of the Worcester Choir. She was a choral singer who developed a love for her. .
She was involved with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, particularly during the early years of the Tanglewood Music Center. She supported countless orchestral productions and along the way became acquainted with young musicians whose stars were on the rise, Sanders said. There are rumors that it happened.”
When he moved to Weekapaug full-time and became more involved in the Rhode Island arts scene, Palm met choir founder George Kent and Kent’s wife, Lynn, and developed a deep relationship with the Kent family and, by extension, the choir. Ta.
Over the past 40 years, Sanders said, “Marion has not only been a major supporter and benefactor of the choir, but also an avid subscriber, volunteer, cheerleader and long-time board member.”
Marion and Bill may not have had children of their own, Sanders said.
“She did the chorus so well,” he said, “every time she looked at the singer’s wall, every time she saw Andrew go up to the podium, every time the singer spoke to her from behind. , I know her heart was full.” In the halls where she sat with sheet music and sang along, we love her even more that she had such a sincere and sincere spirit. did. ”