I want to express how grateful we are, as a family, for the privilege of being part of this magical community. There has been, and always will be, a wonderful feeling of family, community and adventure that comes with being a Deadhead. That's something that Phil and I never took for granted, and always cherished.
From the time we met and fell in love, Phil and I always toured together because we really, really liked to be together. We first toured as a couple in love, having so much fun being just a little crazy on the road together. Then as a family we hit the road with little kids, going to children’s museums, planetariums and aquariums on our days off. Later we went out with a bus full of teenagers, which made everything even more chaotic and fun, and finally we went on tour as empty nesters, just us together on the road again (though we always enjoyed bringing our grandson Levon, or even our wonderful dogs, along with us on the bus!).
We had so many adventures together, and through it all, there was always so much magic and music.
One of our favorite adventures happened later in life, when Phil and I opened Terrapin Crossroads together. He wanted to be able to get more creative in how his music could be presented (and also be able to play a lot of music and still be home more). At his table in the bar at Terrapin, Phil would hang out with Deadheads and listen to all the amazing stories they would tell, about shows they'd been to or adventures they'd had. He loved to play for free in the park one minute, and then do a big show later that night. Mostly, he just loved it when there was music happening, and there was always music happening at Terrapin.
We had so many amazing world class musicians stop by and play at Terrapin over the years, but he also absolutely loved something we did called “Playing in the Band”. That was where anyone could sign up to sing or play an instrument in the bar with the house band, which would include Phil. It didn't matter what they played, or that he'd never met them before - he just loved playing music with other people. He saw it as a collaboration of souls.
I've been trying to think about what else he would want me to say, and I think it's this: Phil would want me to tell you to believe in yourself, and also try to believe in someone else. Without both of those things, he would never have reached the heights he did. Especially when he was younger, there were three times where that belief helped him on his path to music.
The first time was when his Grandmother saw, at the tender age of four, that he was completely and utterly enthralled by the music on her radio. Even at that age, she believed in how important it was to him to be around music, and she made sure that he was around it as much as possible.
The second time was when Phil himself told his parents that he needed to be somewhere where he could play music with others. His parents believed in him, and they picked up and moved so that he could go to a high school where they had an orchestra that welcomed him in.
The third was when Jerry Garcia believed in him enough as a musician that he invited him to play bass in a rock and roll band, despite the fact that Phil had never played bass before. Phil had always known, and believed, that he was a musician. Jerry's belief in him confirmed it.
Please know that Phil loved each and every one of you. He felt your energy believing in him to take the music out there, and he was able to be fearless because of your belief in that power.
Phil was a tree hugger; if he saw a tree he liked, he hugged it (and let me tell you, he liked a lot of trees). With the 60th Anniversary of the band coming up, we had started talking about how the Grateful Dead is like a huge old tree; the roots steeped in their many many musical influences, the original members as the trunk, and all the Grateful Dead and Grateful Dead inspired musicians and bands past, present and future as the branches.
Phil and I have a huge old oak at the top of our property that we call Grandfather Oak. We figured that Grandfather Oak is over 200 years old, and at some point we agreed that we would put our ashes there. Nothing lasts forever, and at some point Grandfather Oak will come down in a storm or such. But there is magic and rebirth everywhere, and even though Grandfather Oak will eventually fall, someday a new tree will root itself in that fertile soil and the cycle will begin again.
The Lesh Family thanks each and every one of you that helped Phil on his musical journey all these years. We are so very grateful for the love and support.
Phil truly loved all of you
Jill
