It's not an easy day to blog after yesterday's death. It's unfortunate that only once people have passed do we think about how they've affected all our lives. Whenever I hear about a passing, whether it's of a good person or bad, I always think about what Rachel would say: "To the dead all is forgiven."
June 25, 2009 is going to be remembered in the history of American music. When a person this important passes, you don't forget it. When someone brought so much joy to people's lives on such an intimate level it shouldn't be shrugged off like some old feather. When a person like this spent so much time giving music to people, providing comfort for others' most important and difficult moments, it deserves to have the attention all the media is giving it.
You might ask yourself if all the national attention this is getting might be a bit ridiculous. After all, we didn't all have a personal relationship with such a person, did we? No, but we're celebrating an important person. Let's raise a glass then to Erma Louise Pittman Ellis of Cranberry, West Virginia. To quote her obituary, "She was known in Raleigh and surrounding counties for her music ministry on WOAY TV and Radio and was part of the Skelton Trio. Louise sang with the trio and individually at more than 2,000 funerals over a span of 50 years. She lovingly shared her music to comfort families during their time of sorrow." Certainly someone worth the whole country thinking about.
http://www.register-herald.com/obituaries/local_story_175223217.html
