Memorialized musically.

Byline: Greg Bolt The Register-Guard

A community said goodbye to one of its finest Wednesday, not with testimonials and ovations but through the music he loved.

The public memorial for attorney, philanthropist and community leader John Jaqua was short on solemnity but long on his favorite entertainment. From the folksy lilt of "Back In the Saddle Again" and "Down By the Old Mill Stream" to the soaring notes of "Ave Maria" and "Taps," people tapped their toes and occasionally dabbed their eyes as they remembered Jaqua and his contributions to country and community.

Jaqua died May 14 at age 88.

It was fitting that the event was held in the Jaqua Concert Hall in downtown Eugene, the former church that Jaqua and his wife, Robin, helped secure as the home for the Shedd Institute for the Arts. And it was at his request that the event skipped the speeches, said his son, Jon Jaqua.

"This is what he asked that we do for him," he said, adding that his father specifically asked that there be no testimonials. "He had had his fill of those."

Instead, Jon Jaqua shared memories of his father's life, turning to humor more than once to reflect on the long life of a man who won honor and respect. He spoke particularly of his father's service in World War II as a Marine aviator in the Pacific, service that earned him medals for bravery under fire but cost him his closest friends and that he rarely talked about until his later years.

Perhaps because illness was causing his short-term memory to fade, his son said, Jaqua seemed finally able to share the old stories of horrific battles in places such as the Solomon Islands, where the young captain was the only member of his 10-man squadron to survive. Jon Jaqua said his father had avoided the subject for decades but came to accept the appreciation people attached to his service.

"It seemed like he was able to recognize a sacrifice both he and his fellow Marines and soldiers, both those who died and those who lived, had made for those of us who came after," he said.

But he also remembered the lighter side, even of his father's fading memory. He said that was something that suited the couple's dogs just fine.

"When he couldn't remember if he'd fed the dogs, what do you think he did? He fed the dogs," Jon Jaqua said. "They are now on a major diet."

The service drew about 500 people, filling the concert hall with friends and community leaders who had worked or shared a song with Jaqua, who was known for his love of singing. Among the attendees was Nike founder Phil Knight, who knew Jaqua since the early days of Nike.

Jaqua's neighbor on his McKenzie River property was UO track coach Bill Bowerman, and the meeting that led to the formation of Nike was held in the Jaqua living room. Jaqua served on Nike's board for more than 30 years and was a substantial Nike shareholder.

After the service, Knight said he always looked up to Jaqua.

"He was a giant," Knight said. "He was a mentor to me from the beginning right up to the end."

The only other speaker at the service was a longtime family friend, the Rev. Patrick LaBelle, director of the Catholic community at Stanford University. He said Jaqua had taught him many lessons over the years, but the one that best captured Jaqua's approach to life was never to put yourself at the center of your universe.

LaBelle said Jaqua taught him that you have find something bigger and more meaningful than yourself and then join others in orbit around that, whether it's religion or community or charity or something else. The lesson was that you can't do anything alone.

"Life isn't about you," LaBelle said. "It's about you in community with others."