We lost our Dad, James Ray Savana, on December 16th. He passed away peacefully in his home in Northfield, Vermont. Surrounded by the trees, birds, and nature - where he felt so at home in. He had just turned 80 this past August 6th. He is survived by his three children, Zachary, Rebecca, and Alex, with one grandson, Elias.

Our Dad did many things in this life. He flew planes in the Air Force, directed air traffic and fought fires in Anchorage, Alaska, was a counselor in mental health facilities, laid concrete all along the continental US, helped folks cross the border, and above all else was a committed story teller. He had this ability to connect with any kind of person in whichever room he walked into. No matter what someone’s experience was; he could pull something out from a corner of his mind that held an article he read, a place that he had been to, a shared memory that would link him to people in this everlasting way. It was a kind of magic that you didn’t believe in until you met him. And the more we reflect on who he was, we are realizing now more than ever, that kind of magic is rare. His deep love for people and connection carried such an impact that made him impossible to forget. He was always about connection. He was always about kindness. He was always about love.

He filled our childhoods with laughter, characters, stories, and the overriding sentiment that life was meant to be a joyful experience - something that shouldn’t be taken too seriously. If you have what someone needs, you give it, not with the intention of it being returned, but with the intention of helping someone because you’re able. He was an unflinchingly kind and patient person that embodied those same sentiments as he went through life.

He had a deep affinity with music. It was always about music. It was always on, and it was always to be played loudly. It was his way of sharing emotions, thoughts - without necessarily needing to say it himself. It brought him such peace even in moments of anguish. That love of affair with music was woven into all of his children in an impermeable way that has tethered us to him for the rest of our lives.

Jim was a father but that wasn’t necessarily the focal point of his life - he did so many things and lived so many lives - he was a rolling stone in the truest sense of the phrase. He was steadfastly himself and through that belief of not tying himself to a specific place - it taught the three of us invaluable lessons about what family meant to us, what forgiveness could look like, the tenacity of the human spirit and perhaps most importantly, what unconditional, impermeable love really meant.

We are beyond grateful that he got to see his son raise a beautiful son, witnessed his eldest daughter have a loving, lasting partnership, and see his youngest finish her degree. 

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