Bob Mendenhall, at 45; singer, cellist, and music teacher
Bob Mendenhall of Jamaica Plain, a former singer, cellist, and music teacher, died Friday in his home after battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease. He was 45.
He was born in Marseille, France, and moved with his family to Racine, Wis., when he was 4. When he was a teenager, his mother died of ALS.
"Not having an immediate family of his own, he extended himself to everyone and nurtured lifelong friendships," said Ginny Mazur, his wife of more than 10 years.
"He was a great correspondent and had strong bonds to his friends and kept in touch by mail, e-mail, or phone," she said. "He was such a lovable guy." The two were longtime friends before getting married in Little Compton, R.I.
In the spring of 2002, he was diagnosed with ALS, a degenerative neurological disease that causes muscle weakness and atrophy and usually results in death. Later that year, he lost his ability to walk.
Mr. Mendenhall was a graduate of the Music Conservatory of San Francisco, the Feldenkrais movement professional training program in New York City, and the Antioch Graduate School of New England in Keene, N.H. His proudest accomplishment was working at the Waldorf School in Lexington, "first as a classroom teacher and then as a music director at the school," said Mazur.
"He was one of the most fully developed people and brought all his intellect," said Janet Cromer of Jamaica Plain, a longtime friend. He was very involved in helping others get through their illness by providing information through his website, called the Turtle Journal, www.turtlejournal.org. During his illness, "he was realistic and always was focused on what he had left," Cromer said.
In addition to writing his journals, he recorded CDs of poems and poetry with Cromer's help. His website has been used for other patients going through catastrophic illnesses, Mazur said. Along with his wife and Cromer, he also began a group called the Circle of Support, to provide assistance, emotional support, and companionship for the stricken.
"Music was his life; his love was making music and teaching it to others," Mazur said. He began playing the cello at age 8 and loved classical music. His mother had been a semiprofessional opera singer. For the past two years, he sang with an a cappella group, Resounding Joy, and the group came to sing to him in the advanced stages of his illness.
He also enjoyed swimming, painting, walking at Walden Pond in Lincoln, and watching the Red Sox. "He loved nature and posted a picture of a rose that we saw in Italy on vacation on his website," his wife said. Mr. Mendenhall loved to travel and was very proud that he had visited 47 states, missing only Alaska, Hawaii, and Florida. "We also loved to go to Little Compton, R.I., the site of our wedding, Italy, and Canada. Our trips were usually to see friends, as he made many friends in his years," she said.
He enjoyed cooking and made many French dishes that reflected his background. "He made the world's best omelette and pasta," said Mazur.
In addition to his wife, he leaves his aunt, Carole Chapelain from the Chicago area, and several cousins. A memorial service is being planned for next month. A series of informal, short concert gatherings are to be arranged at Lake Hibiscus at Forest Hills Cemetery in Jamaica Plain, where a bench will be dedicated to him, Mazur said.