Hundreds bid farewell to Renee Segerstrom
Alex Coolman
SANTA ANA -- A column of black-clad mourners walked slowly from the
chapel of Waverly Church to its cemetery Wednesday as Renee Segerstrom,
an arts leader and the wife of developer Henry T. Segerstrom, was laid to
rest.
She died Wednesday at the age of 72 from complications from an extended
illness.
Her memorial was heavily attended, with crowds spilling out of the Santa
Ana church’s small stone chapel and into rows of chairs that had been set
up on an adjacent lawn. Flower arrangements were piled onto every
available surface, the orchids and lilies wilting slightly in the heat of
the afternoon.
Packed into the pews were representatives of many of the county’s arts
organizations. Roger Kirwan, chairman of the Orange County Performing
Arts Center, was in attendance, as were South Coast Repertory’s
co-founders David Emmes and Martin Benson.
Segerstrom was a major contributor to the development of both
organizations.
In their eulogies, speakers emphasized the grace, good humor and
dedication to the life of art for which Segerstrom was known.
“Renee relished life,” said Judith O’Dea Morr, the Center’s vice
president of programming. “She loved her family and friends and loved
Henry beyond measure.”
Janice Johnson, a friend of Segerstrom and an arts patron, recalled her
intense commitment to supporting music, art and theater.
“She would whisper ‘You know, the creative arts are the center of a great
civilization,’ ” Johnson said.
As mourners gathered at the grave site, the heat of the day seemed to
break somewhat. A breeze rustled through the drooping leaves of the
cemetery trees, carrying the reedy sound of a piper playing “Amazing
Grace” and the distant chatter of birds.
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