Kenna Payne (Photo by Jay Paul)
The familiar 16th-century proverb “The cobbler’s children always go barefoot” articulates a work-life irony still relevant today. Witness the line cook eating a soggy sandwich, the manicurist with unpolished nails or the landscaper with a weed-ridden lawn.
Kenna Payne, an accountant turned church organist and for 12 years treasurer of the Richmond Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, has resolved to resist this professional paradox.
Contrary to the instrument’s solo nature, the American Guild of Organists maintains nearly 300 chapters nationwide; Richmond AGO, established in 1910, is one of the oldest. Approximately 135 members of all experience levels occupy keyboard benches across the region, forming a tight-knit community Payne refers to as her second home.
Organists are often present on people’s most pivotal days, playing both beaming brides and pallbearers down the church aisle. Earlier this year, Payne found herself seated, off-duty, at a funeral. As ceremonial music swelled around her and she idly admired hymns or wondered about their names, she had an a-ha moment that she later shared with her fellow organists.
“A lot of them admitted that they hadn’t gotten around to writing down their [funeral] plans,” Payne says. “We’re supposed to be the experts. If we don’t spend time on ourselves, we don’t have credibility. So, I thought, ‘Here we go. We work in churches, all the resources are there.’”
Addressing this lack of forward thinking in the lives of organists, in June Payne published a piece titled “Are You a Cobbler?” in the Richmond AGO newsletter. It challenged members to identify their personal funeral service preferences and put them down on paper.
An alto in the Richmond Symphony Chorus, Payne naturally focused on music selection during her own planning. “There are some big choral pieces and hymns where the text means a lot to me personally,” she says. Martin Rinkart’s “Now Thank We All Our God” was the first hymn she ever played for a church service, and she considers Mozart’s “Ave Verum Corpus” the most perfect choral piece ever written; she’s added both to the playlist for her funeral.
Joel Kumro, sub-dean of Richmond AGO, says, “When Kenna proposed this idea, the whole thing interested me. I’ve lived far away from my family for a number of years now, and I thought, ‘My goodness, if, heaven forbid, something happens to me, somebody should know [my wishes],’” he says.
A 16-year career as a classical singer, organist and choirmaster at Saint Benedict Catholic Church has led Kumro to witness countless funerals. Much like life, he’s noticed, important ceremonies do not always go according to plan. Keeping this in mind, he has embraced a flexible approach to his own planning, declaring any modifications made by his loved ones to be “le bon goût” (a French Baroque musical term meaning “in good taste”).
“I’m blessed to know a tremendous amount of musicians with fabulous taste who I really respect,” Kumro says. “If I lock myself into a certain plan, I’m limiting the people in my life who could make even better music selections or choices than I have.”
When Kumro envisions his ideal funeral service, he pictures the “party of all parties.” “Anybody that knows me personally knows that I love to be with my friends, I love to socialize, I love to laugh,” he says. “I want people to just have a good time, so I want to take the church service part very seriously and then after we’ve finished there, just have a big wedding reception sort of celebration, a real rager.”
Based on his own research and planning as well as his experience with funerals, Kumro advises aspiring planners to start by simply getting the verbal ball rolling. “Just have a conversation, talk about it with your best friend, mom, partner,” he says.
Then, just scribble. Drafting an outline for a complete service may seem daunting, but quickly jotting ideas in a phone app is a simple and effective way to collect your thoughts. “Get a living document going somewhere, on your phone, anywhere,” Kumro says, “and let your family and friends know it’s there, or even give them a copy.”
If possible, consult a minister or funeral home professional to explore options for funeral arrangements. When Kumro learned about green burials, the idea aligned with his beliefs. “I would just love to have a natural, simple burial without all the makeup and the big metal casket,” he says. “Ash Wednesday begins the Lenten season with this symbolism of the ashes, ‘Remember that you are dust and to dust you will return.’ There’s a beauty in committing myself back to the earth in a way that embodies the scriptures. Just an organic, beautiful process.”
At least five Richmond AGO members have begun brainstorming their funeral plans in answer to Payne’s summer challenge, and they look forward to sharing their results when the group resumes meeting in September. Payne says the planners, including herself, found it hard to narrow down their choices but feel the process has been rewarding. “Thinking about the end of your own life can be sad and daunting, but preparing this celebration helps me know that I’ve relieved someone of the burden,” Payne adds.
“There’s this macabre hush-hush around these topics,” Kumro says. “Sudden death leaves families feeling scrambled, and then having to deal with all this crazy planning on top of everything can be really stressful. Having open dialogue around death can add a richness to life and minimize future stress.”
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