Remembering Dr. Paul Hesselink, DMA
SNCAGO Loses a Friend, Colleague, and Mentor
Dear Friend of the SNCAGO,
It is with sorrow that I must inform you that our dear friend, colleague, and mentor Paul Hesselink passed away suddenly earlier today.
Paul fell out of his bed early in the morning on Sunday, April 23. As a result, he broke his neck in four places. The surgeons at Mountain View Hospital fixed the fractures in a successful surgery last Tuesday, April 25. This past Friday, he was taken to a rehab facility to help him regain his strength.
During the entire time of his hospital stay, his dedication to our chapter and the pipe organ never wavered. Paul directed members of our chapter's recital team from his hospital bed in the essential steps for our upcoming DeuxVoix organ and trumpet recital on Friday, May 12.
In the wee hours of this morning [May 1, 2023], Paul suffered a medical episode but was alert and talkative. When the nurse at the rehab went to serve him breakfast, Paul was unresponsive. The medical staff did their best to administer CPR, but they could not revive him. He died of cardiac arrest around 7:20 AM.
On a personal note, Paul's hospitality and warm welcome played a big part in my decision, at 21 years old, to move to Las Vegas from Buffalo, NY fresh out of college. He served as a friend, colleague, and mentor to so many over the years. His passing will be felt throughout the Las Vegas organist, Las Vegas church musician, and UNLV communities... and beyond.
He touched the lives of his students, parishioners, and friends.
When funeral service information becomes available, I will communicate with you via this email list. I highly encourage you to attend the upcoming recital on Friday, May 12 at Doc Rando Hall. I'm quite confident that that is how he would like us to remember him. Paul was so instrumental in securing that instrument at the university and making sure that our recital programs would go off without a hitch.
William Paul Freeman, Ed.S., MBA
Dean, Southern Nevada Chapter of the AGO