In Memoriam

Mary Lu Kirsty, Elizabethtown, NY
Beryl Reneau, Crown Point, NY
Russell Ames, Westport, NY

This past year our North Country community has lost three of its most brilliant lights. These immensely talented and generous pianists have been the musical brick-layers for all that have come after them, and we at PBN would like to commemorate their incredible achievements as teachers, performers, colleagues, friends, and neighbors. Together their gifts of music have provided us almost 50 years of lessons, musicals, church music, concerts, choral music, and much more, with their incredible love of music always shining through everything they so skillfully carried out.

Below are some heartfelt thoughts from people who knew them well.
Please feel free to add your own remembrances at the end of this page

From her loving daughter Suzanne Kiernan
“Loving and devoted wife, mother, and grandmother”

Beryl’s fine and loving spirit was her melody and she shared it with the world around her.

Beryl Peterson Reneau was born in Bayside NY in 1938; she passed from us in 2019. She was born into musical family who loved to celebrate, sing, and play music. “As the story goes,” at two years old, she climbed up and sat on the piano bench with a big smile and shared her melody on the family piano. Her parents were overjoyed! Who knew? This would be the beginning of Beryl’s destiny–touching people’s hearts with her positive and joyful spirit and her love of music.

Music followed Beryl throughout her life. Beryl grew up singing, playing the guitar, the accordion, and piano. She performed in school shows, church functions, and at college. In 1959, Beryl graduated from NY State Teachers College at New Paltz with a degree in Elementary Education and a minor in Music Education.
Shortly after college, Beryl was married to Vince Reneau and moved to Brentwood Long Island where they had four children. Life was filled with family gatherings, good food, and many camping trips. She raised her family in the same way she did everything else, with selflessness, joy, and celebration! Three of her children play an instrument.

Beryl began teaching accordion in the den of her home 40 years ago. From there, she branched out and taught piano throughout the community. Finally, she moved to Crown Point, NY where she would go on to influence so many families of children through her music and teaching; inspiring so many students, organizing and giving recitals, and playing for the school musicals. When she spoke of her students and their families it was with pride and love.

Beryl volunteered her time with Hospice, visiting and singing for the elderly and sick with the Chrysalis Choir. Giving in so many ways.

Beryl had a true love and talent for photography and shooting video. She had albums filled with photos of students and family. Many favorite images of wildflowers and nature adorned the walls of her home.

Beryl would become the best and most loving Grandmother to 5 children, making countless trips to Long Island and to various parts of upstate New York to be that grandmother. She welcomed each one of those excited grandchildren to her home and gave to them as only she could, keeping her video rolling and her camera shooting all the while.

Beryl, who has meant so much to so many, who has touched the lives of so many, would sit at the round table in her home late at night and read the paper and have a cup of tea and say, “Things are looking up!”

Mary Lu Kirsty sitting on her 90th birthday with friends Alvin and Vivian Reiner, Hans Himmelein, and Janice Kyle.

From her friend Susan Hughes

Mary Lu Kirsty was one of the most generous people I’ve ever met, particularly with her time and musical talents.  She was always willing and eager to take on new musical challenges and to try new styles, new experiences.  In addition to many years as the organist at the United Church of Christ in Elizabethtown, she also accompanied the Pleasant Valley Chorale, many of the local musicals, soloists – both vocal and instrumental, as well as any other group I could come up with. And I came up with a lot of them!  My favorite way to spend an evening would be in her music room, working on ANY music she or I could find, then enjoying a simple meal together at her kitchen table. She was like a mother to me…only much, much better because she indulged my every musical whim.

From her friend and neighbor Nell Painter

Mary Lu was the first friend I made in New Russia in 2005. I was jogging or walking on Route 9 and getting kind of hot as I approached Mary Lu’s house. She noticed my situation and invited me in for a glass of water, for which I was grateful. Our friendship took off from there, with my especially appreciating her forthrightness—which she sometimes rued—and her music, so often with Russell Ames on the grand piano and Mary Lu on the upright. My son Dennis is a musician as well, joining in Mary Lu’s music soirées with her son and grandsons.

Mary Lu was interested in my writing and my art from early on, as she collected my art, some in original pieces, some as email attachments. She was also my first audience as I read aloud to her from the manuscript of The History of White People. Sometimes it was a bit too dense for her, but she remained my plucky personal audience.

Mary Lu was also Glenn’s and my introduction to New Russia’s society and its environs of Elizabethtown, Westport, Wadhams, and Essex. When she moved to Saratoga Springs, a lynchpin in our North Country world went missing. But most of all, we miss her for herself. We miss Mary Lu and continue to love her.

From his friend and collaborator Alisa Endsley

Russell Ames was my musical partner in crime.

He was 35 years my senior, but we were musically two peas in a pod.

We hit it off instantly and started to create together from day one.

He had an amazing life story. Well-traveled, unbelievably bright, educated at “that school in Cambridge” as he would say. He played Carnegie Hall, accompanied The University Men’s Glee Club, toured as accompanist to The Great Irish Tenor John McNally, loved his work as Director of Admissions at Riverdale Country Day and Horace Mann–two private schools in The Bronx.

His roster of friends could fill an entire tome, all from different walks of life, places, and times.

My partner and I hosted a 90th birthday party for him. It was a small intimate gathering of only sixty-five of his closest friends.

He was one of the most brilliant, talented, soul-connected musicians I have ever had the honor to play with, and believe me, I have played with some of the best.

He could be wickedly funny, darkly humorous, brutally honest, but was always able to laugh at his own shortcomings, even when being pointed out by someone else and even if the shortcoming being highlighted was a bit “close to the bone.”

His depth of honesty and candor would never fail to amaze as so few in our world speak truth that authentically.

With all that being said, the always-consistent quality in Russell was a great generosity of spirit and an enormous heart.

We created together from the moment we met until not long before he made his transition.

There was something powerfully special in our musical bond.

His nickname for me was “Diva Sprite” which I will cherish till the end of my days.

I miss you my dear friend.

Read Russell Ames obituary here. 

You can share your own memories by leaving a comment below.