Memorial Service for John Jones
Friends and Family Attend March 29th Gathering
Colleen Kelley (John's "Highly Significant, Significant Other") was our hostess and facilitator.  She was the epitome of grace and demonstrated a balance of humor, sharing, and warmth that touched us all.

The setting was La Jolla Shores with the blue skies and brimming Pacific waves washing the scene outside our room at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club.

As people arrived, John provided the background music through recordings of him playing his own compositions on the piano.

We began with Jackie Martin leading us in a guided meditation ... walking in the forest, coming to a fork in the path, encountering John, and having a private conversation with him.

Audio-Visual "Show" Touched our Memories of John
Charlie Ohlsson and Michael Bronfenbrenner had created a wonderful video and music review of John's life, his friends, his family, and his passions that was just right (shown in several parts). A lot of it was a series of photos that really captured the gamut of different times, hair styles, weight changes, settings, and people. The video also included excerpts of John telling stories and giving "advice" to managers.
Attendees Reflected John's Wide Range of Influence

Eighty or ninety people ranging from his former next door neighbor, to physicians and other medical professionals, to colleagues, protégés, family, and old friends attended. Many shared poignant stories, read poetry, or talked about how John impacted them.  

Most of the truly old-time UA crowd was present, including Dale Cors, Jerry Anderson, editors Arlette Ballew, Phyliss Russell. Debbie Stockton, and Marian Mettler.  Former consultants were  Tony Banet, Ord Elliott, Larry Porter,  Don Dawson, Phyllis Cooke, Steve Sonnenberg, and Dan Eckstein.   Of course Bill Bearley was there, as were two of John's children, Laura and Alex. 

I was touched that Ken Blanchard attended, and several of John's former clients or publishing partners also were able to make it. Some traveled a considerable distance, including publisher, Rollin Glaser, and friend and client, Ron Longhitano from the East coast. A number of former interns / colleagues like John Perko, Bev Scott, Dan Eckstein, and Michele Moomaugh were present.

Others I recognized were Galen Griswald, Jim Swartz, Larry Cabaldon, Nancy Novak, Rosalie Chapman, Steve Sonnenberg, Tom Packard, and Samantha Kovacs.

John Wanted "One World, One People"

We listened to an audiotape of John singing "One World, One People" that he wrote in 1984. Then with a live pianist, and as John had requested, we all sang it together.

Colleen had received so many tributes to be read, that there wasn't time to share them all. Instead, she read a few items and made all of them available in a loose leaf book for us to peruse. In addition to my personal contribution, I read the dedication to John from Hyler Bracey's book, Building Trust, and an excerpt about transparency and how John lived that concept.

Moving Meditation
We closed with a wonderful meditation by John taped for Billie London years ago that was truly spiritual and universal. We each took a neat multi-colored blinking light and held them up in tribute to John... and then closed with casual conversation as the pianist played some of John's favorite sing-along songs.

Although the event was 3 1/2 hours in length, the time passed very quickly and the entire experience was quite rich. It was interspersed with several breaks and some really good food, and the setting by the shining blue ocean at La Jolla Shores was quite appropriate.

The Ultimate Gift
We left filled with laughter, tears, heart-felt memories and a reminder that it is the giving that we share in our lifetimes that endures in the hearts of those who live on after us.