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A Life Well Lived: Reflections and Media from the Memorial Service
By Jeremy | December 19, 2009
As the host for Uncle Mikey’s Memorial Service Wednesday night, my prayer was to present his life and legacy honorably, both in my remarks and in the order of service. I think we did him justice. Not only that, but as a New York actor, Uncle Mikey went out the way every performer wants: to a standing room only packed house.
To the best of my recollection, here are my remarks, along with photos from the service, and the multimedia presentations.
________________
Welcome
Welcome. My name is Jeremy Del Rio and I am Uncle Mikey’s oldest nephew. I’m humbled to be your host this evening as we celebrate a life well lived.
If you knew my uncle you know that he was the consummate showman, a pro’s pro who understood that a one note performance is no performance at all. Tonight’s service will follow that lead.
Uncle Mikey’s life embodied an ethic I heard best expressed by a college basketball coach just weeks before his own untimely passing. Coach Jim Valvano described a life worth living as being the sum total of the choices we make everyday. Good choices, he said, comprise good days; and the best days, what he called “a heck of a day,” cause us to do three things.
On our best days, Coach V said, our emotions are stirred to tears. We’ll share a few tears tonight, I promise you that. I shed enough last night for all of us.
But good days allow us to do more than cry. Great days also involve laughter. My Uncle Mikey was not afraid to laugh at his own expense. He was a master storyteller, and some of his best stories poked fun at himself. We’ll share a few stories tonight, and memories that will make us laugh with Uncle Mikey.
The best days, Coach Valvano finished, also cause us to think. Tonight we’ll cry. And we’ll laugh. But when all is said and the night is over, Uncle Mikey’s legacy will provoke us to think. Perhaps even rethink what matters most of all.
With that, Act 1 of our Tribute begins. Uncle Mikey was a New York artist, an actor, writer, producer, dancer and singer. Like the God Uncle Mikey loved, who “in the beginning created,” Uncle Mikey was most alive when he was creating. To celebrate Michael Del Rio the artist, I introduce his writing partner and collaborator of fourteen years, Nelson Vasquez.
[Read Nelson Vasquez's eulogy here, followed by a video tribute of Uncle Mikey's career, produced and edited by Nelson.]
Transition
With all do respect to the rest of my aunts and uncles, Uncle Mikey was the cool uncle, a complete original who would give his nieces and nephews airbrushed sweatshirts with glitter on them for Christmas and actually inspire us to want to wear them. But as a young man he also wrestled with personal demons, including the disease of addiction.
I’ll never forget a Sunday when I was twelve or thirteen and we visited Uncle Mikey and Aunt Lory at their studio apartment in Greenwich Village. Two things happened that day.
First, that’s the day Uncle Mikey inspired me to want to live in Greenwich Village. So much so that I spent seven years in the neighborhood as a student at NYU.
Second, he and Aunt Lory had to speak privately with my parents. You know that studio apartments aren’t conducive to adult conversation with kids around, so a babysitter took my brothers and me outside to explore the neighborhood while the adults talked. I don’t know what exactly they talked about, but I do know that after that day we didn’t have to pray for Uncle Mikey the same way anymore. He rededicated his life to the Lord and overcame his addiction thereafter.
Act 1 tonight remembered the artist. Act 2 remembers the man of faith who loved God and others well. Michael Del Rio was a member of Living Word Church, and a lifetime honorary member of the church my parents pastor Abounding Grace. Next we will hear from the music minister at Abounding Grace, who will perform two of Uncle Mikey’s favorite songs; followed without any further introduction from me by his pastor, Benny Hurtado of Living Word Church, who will share some words about Uncle Mikey’s faith.
[Music by Rev. Louis Carlo. Message by Rev. Benny Hurtado.]
Transition
Thank you Pastor Benny. The final Act tonight remembers Michael Del Rio the family man. You’ll meet two of his other nephews, my brother Jonathan — one of my favorite preachers — and our cousin Joshua. Then you’ll meet Uncle Mikey’s siblings.
Aside from half a billion dollars, the Jackson 5 has nothing on the Del Rio 6. Uncle Mikey was one of six brothers and sisters, and though three lived here in New York and three lived in Puerto Rico, whenever they got together, all they would need is half an hour to warm up and then they’d make musical magic happen. Even though their frontman Michael is also gone, tonight you’ll experience that magic.
After they sing, Uncle David will share some remarks about his brother, followed by the family’s Multimedia Tribute.
[Family segment.]
Family Remembrances Multimedia
[View the multimedia with audio here. Note: the full video takes a few minutes to download.]
Conclusion
Now you know why I was in tears all night [referring to the multimedia slideshow].
Thank you for joining us this evening as we have celebrated a life well lived. We’ve laughed together. We’ve cried. But my prayer was that most of all, Uncle Mikey would still be provoking us to think.
The common themes from each presenter tonight has been Uncle Mikey’s passion for life and compassion for others. He treated everybody with dignity, not just those the world esteems. The least ranking crew member. His elderly neighbor. And his homeless friend Ramon.
As we leave this place, let us remember that man most of all; and be inspired to love others, especially those most vulnerable and marginalized, as well as he did.
To conclude the evening, another of Uncle Mikey’s friends, Izzy, will perform Amazing Grace as our benediction.
Memorial Service Photos
[Photos Courtesy of Francisco Villegas.]
Topics: death, legacy, life, memorial, michael philip del rio, tribute | 2 Comments »
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