Roxallanne Medley
Twenty years down the road, memories of Videoville still loom large for me.
One of our more enduring customers, Roxallanne Medley, died last week at age 80, and we want to take a few moments to remember her.
From her daughter, Melissa:
Roxallanne passed peacefully with her family by her side and a small smile on her face.
A true force of nature, we can picture her arriving in heaven on a breath of salty sea air, dancing to Irish fiddle tunes.
She packed at least three lifetimes into her one precious life.
She lived decisively: there was never a box that could contain her independent spirit and adventurous nature.
She was defined by her creativity, boldness, love of life and unquenchable energy.
Roxallanne knew music deep in her soul from a young age.
She began playing the violin at age six and when her younger siblings began their musical studies, the family home was never without the raucous sounds of budding string players.
She was concertmaster of the Portland Junior Symphony before her marriage to David in 1964.
A move soon after brought her an audition and a subsequent long career as a violinist with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra.
Later, the years she spent as concertmaster with the Saratoga Orchestra on Whidbey brought her great musical and personal joy.
In 1981, Roxallanne left the orchestra to complete her undergraduate degree at Seattle Pacific University in Elementary Education and then graduated summa cum laude with her master’s in education from Lesley College in Cambridge.
She embarked on a second career and was an elementary teacher at Coupeville Elementary on Whidbey Island for many years.
Together, Roxallanne and her co-teacher combined their talents to nurture a generation of young students to love learning, nature and seek excellence later in life.
After retiring from teaching, Roxallanne built a successful music studio from her home on Whidbey Island and brought the gift of music to scores of young violinists. She inspired the next generation of fiddlers to pursue their own musical dreams.
Her creativity didn’t stop with music; she loved all of the arts and shared her passion with those around her.
She was never without her sketchbook and paints and left behind volumes of precious journals filled with whimsical drawings and writings about the world around her.
She crafted delightful ceramic tiles and art and learned to spin and weave with fleece from their own sheep.
She also wielded her pen with the natural Irish gift of storytelling.
She was a woman who needed to be near the saltwater.
Early on, Roxallanne and David became sailors and spent years cruising the Salish Sea with their only child, Melissa, on their 22’ boat.
Eventually they moved aboard a 42’ ketch with the intention of someday casting off the dock lines permanently.
Life had other plans for them, and a move to Whidbey Island soon coalesced all they loved about the Pacific Northwest.
Roxallanne adored walking the beaches with her Golden Retrievers, crabbing in Penn Cove, clam digging with her dad, and sharing her island home with her two grandchildren and the family and visitors who frequently stopped by.
A special love was her travels with David that brought her to other bodies of water in Ireland and Cape Breton.
The allure of the sea combined with the Celtic musical tradition she found in those travels shaped much of who she was.
She left her beloved island home four years ago to be closer to family as her health began to wane, but her heart never left the rocky beaches and windswept prairies of Whidbey Island. She missed them every day.
She was most at home in nature, whether tending to one of the many beautiful gardens she planted wherever she lived, paddling her canoe or kayak, or raising heritage sheep.
She was passionate and vocal about protecting the environment.
Roxallanne’s family often laughingly called her a druid, and rarely did she miss an opportunity to celebrate a solstice and revel in the change of the seasons.
Food was her love language. Even though she was skinny as a rail, there was never a lack of abundance at her table or when she visited, and it was always served with a great deal of salt and butter.
Roxallanne and David hosted many musical St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in their home, replete with corned beef and cabbage, Irish soda bread, and her signature Guinness cake.
The world has lost a sweet light, and yet it still reflects in those she left behind: her husband of 62 years, David Medley; her daughter Melissa Medley Rodewald and son-in-law Doug; grandchildren Katie Rodewald Root and Andrew (great grandchildren Josephine, Teddy, and Elizabeth), and Jonah Rodewald and fiancée Amanda.
She was a devoted and loving sister to Bridget Kelly, as well as to Cathie Kelly and Randy Kelly.
Her presence will also be missed by her nieces Maghean, Laurie, and Mollie, and nephews Josh (Emily) and Patrick.
She was preceded in death by her mom, LaVerne Ione Norton Kelly, and her dad, Frank Edward Kelly.
Roxallanne was complex, independent, proud and so incredibly strong.
And she was one of a kind: her life was a blueprint for how to listen to your own voice, how to face intense challenges with resilience, and still stand tall.
The phrase “you can’t” was never in her vocabulary and she met everything life threw at her with determination and fortitude.
A celebration of life will be held at a later date in Coupeville. Contact daughter Melissa for details.
Instead of flowers, her family asks that you remember Roxallanne with hearts full of gratitude for her life so beautifully lived.
Remember her by listening to gorgeous music and early morning bird song, walking with your happy dog, digging in the dirt in the afternoon sun, or feeling the wind and salt on your face.
Her legacy remains with us.
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It’s never too early to learn the art of the racket.
