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.