Greenon to hold memorial concert today for fallen student

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Band director Jared Frye said DePhillip had been a tuba player since fifth grade and all the students in the ensemble had been very close to him.

“His death hit all the students pretty hard,” he said.

Frye said a lot of the student body is still struggling with DePhillip’s sudden death in a car crash in October 2017. He said the concert is just as much for them as it is to honor DePhillip’s memory, he said.

“We wanted to try to help them heal,” Frye said.

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He said the second half of the concert is directly inspired by DePhillip’s life and will feature songs that share characteristics with him. Frye said DePhillip was a hunter and a fisherman, and had also been a Boy Scout. Many of the songs will have themes surrounding nature and have Native American elements, he said.

Admission to the concert will be two non-perishable food items, which will be donated to Enon Relief. Frye said DePhillip often volunteered there as part of his scout duties.

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The affect of DePhillip’s death is still felt heavily at the school, Frye said, but he hopes the concert will not only help ease the student’s pain over the tragedy, but help the community as well.

“We want to celebrate his life,” he said. “We’ve cried and cried, but we hope people will leave not with a tear in their eye, but with a smile on their face.”