It was a full church full of music, laughter and warm memories of Don and Judy Stine Saturday, May 20.
On a weekend already brimming with activities – Lisbon and Mount Vernon’s graduations, the state track meet, the Marching Mustangs preparing to once again return to Washington, D.C., it was truly fitting that this community took time to celebrate two citizens that advanced music in this community in numerous ways.
As Morgan Stine said, both Don and Judy loved the town of Mount Vernon, and they were looking to inspire music at all levels of the community.
It’s why the Eastern Iowa Brass Band was there Saturday to play an impromptu concert, complete with a standing ovation, to pay homage to the Stines for the work they did in forming that band.
Morgan encouraged the community to follow his dad’s advice to use what you have to make what you have the best it can be.
Alexis Gallegos (Don and Judy’s daughter) said Judy was known to live the sweet life by giving the sweet to everyone, with her Christmas fudge.
“She could also see the music in other people and loved to bring it out in other people,” Alexis said.
Pastor Terra Amundson compared the couple to a two-part invention, that they brought out the best in one another as a couple, but each had their own strengths that complemented and made the song they were playing together better. That each had the lead at different points, but were also great with harmonies.
Their fingerprints extended well past the music departments at school, as the Eastern Iowa Brass Band toured throughout the midwest. The Stines were also very heavily involved with the Mount Vernon Alumni Association. They were also honored as citizens of the year by the Mount Vernon Lisbon Community Group in 2019.
This community was better for having the Stines here, pushing their students and others to better themselves and the music they played, and their legacy lives on in the continued success of the marching bands and celebration of music in these communities moving forward. It truly was a great ceremony to see and remember the couple who had done so much for the Mount Vernon and Lisbon community.