Celebration of life for Olympia’s ‘Piano Man’ set for Friday in Lacey
John Grace, known to some as “The Piano Man” and for helping to found the New Life Baptist Church in Lacey, died Feb. 7. He was 92.
A celebration of his life is scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday, Feb. 24, at New Life Baptist Church, 7838 Pacific Ave. SE, Lacey. The event is open to the public and will be followed by a reception.
Thelma Jackson, a local civil rights activist, said Grace came to Olympia in the 1960s and was a long-time piano tuner, business owner, teacher, mentor and humanitarian. He was successful at all these things, all while being fully blind, she said.
“Even though he was blind since birth, he lived a full and productive life filled with love, caring, and tremendous contributions to this community for decades,” Jackson said. “In an article that appeared in The Olympian in 1994, on ‘The Piano Man,’ the story portrayed John as an industrious, successful, and confident business owner and teacher who never let his blindness hold him back.”
Jackson said Grace leaned on his faith in God and human nature to get through life. At first, he didn’t feel welcome in Olympia’s churches, especially with the lack of a space for Black people, she said. Instead, he would take the bus to Portland for church.
But when more Black people started moving to the Lacey area in the 1970s, Jackson said he helped to found New Life Baptist, which opened in 1975. He served as a deacon of the church for many years.
Jackson said Grace was celebrated in 2008 during the church’s 33rd anniversary, when he said, “I get my joy and inspiration knowing that I’m doing the service of God and inspiring someone else that they may feel what I feel when they sing or when they play.”
Jackson said Grace was warm, humorous and highly respected, particularly in the music and religious communities.
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