BY KAREN BOSSICK

Stefanie Holcomb wanted a way to honor the memory of her late husband Greg. But she couldn’t fly a plane to assist medical patients through Angel Flight the way he had. So, she landed on the idea of hosting a Sun Valley Music Festival musician in honor of Greg’s love of music.

With tonight’s season finale looming, she invited several musicians and close friends to her home for dinner and a mini-concert in Greg’s memory.

“Since we could no longer do Angel Flight, I wanted to continue to bless others in my way. We never missed the symphony. And Greg was so fun to watch—when the music started, he’d get so immersed in it. I like what the Sun Valley Music Festival provides for this community. And the concert was inspired by who Greg was—he was often called gregarious,” she said.

Greg Holcomb and Stefanie had the perfect picture taken with their pooch.

Greg Holcomb, who passed away two years ago, was a tinkerer at an early age. So much so that at 11 he put a lawnmower engine on his bike and got grounded when a police officer saw him zoom through a stop sign.

Greg’s father told his son that the future of engineering was in electronics but Greg hated that field so he became a mechanical engineer, instead. Eventually, he started his own manufacturing company, providing customized automation to meet business needs whether it be wrapping ice cream sandwiches or stacking the cups that Trader Joe’s puts its food in.

He and Stefanie met at a Club Med at the Sea of Cortez.

“Our eyes met across a smoke-filled room—people still smoked in those days. I thought he was a secret agent man that could put together a bomb with bubblegum and a paper clip. But we didn’t know if we could make it work, as I was getting ready for a fellowship at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C.,” said Stephanie, who got a degree in humanities and literature at Loyola Marymount.

Greg Holcomb, left, loved to help out returning veterans at Higher Ground’s snow sports camps.

When Stefanie returned, they did find a way to make it work. The two came to Sun Valley on a ski vacation and were smitten with all Sun Valley had to offer.

Eventually, Greg sold his business freeing him up for a life of sailing, big sea fishing, race car driver, hang gliding, golfing, flying into the Idaho backcountry and, of course, skiing at Sun Valley.

He learned about Angel Flight in 2002 when a friend in Kalispell, Mont., had an aneurysm and needed to be medevaced to a hospital in Seattle.

Angel Flight, designed primarily for those in rural areas, relies on volunteer pilots who donate their time, even spending as much as a thousand dollars to fill the gas tank.

Norm Leopold, left, joined Greg Holcomb on some of his Angel flights.

“When we were in Redding, Greg flew patients to the hospital at Stanford or to southern California. We did compassion flights, too. We took a man to a hospice to see a dying mother because he couldn’t have gotten there in time any other way. I went with Greg when I could—I loved meeting the passengers and hearing their stories,” Stefanie said.

“And Greg was great with those who didn’t like to fly--he could instill confidence because he was so precise about what he did. Some were repeat passengers and he cared so much about them. He wanted to be a part of their wellness journey.”

In 2019 Greg developed a staph infection of the spine, learning later that he had cancer that had  metastasized. Despite his challenges he skied a hundred days for his 100-day pin at Sun Valley the winter of 2021-22. He never got to ski again, as he passed away in 2022.

“Greg was always trying to figure out how to do things more quickly and efficiently. He packed 2.5 lifetimes in one life,” said Stefanie.

Friends gathered in the living room and kitchen to hear the musicians play. PHOTO: Karen Bossick

Stefanie has continued to volunteer for Higher Ground, which she had done alongside her husband. She recently getting involved with the relatively new Green Team, an offshoot of Special Olympics.

“We moved here for the quality of life. And, now that I’ve been widowed, I’ve found this a very loving supportive community,” she said.

She easily felt a connection to Dylan Naroff, the assistant concertmaster for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra that she took in, as the 29-year-old shared her passion for cooking and Iyengar Yoga.

And though he’d never known Greg, he was eager to assemble some of his comrades to perform a Quartet in D and Dmitri Shostakovich’s Five Pieces for 2 Violins and Piano while Holcomb served up   martinis made with pear-infused vodka, amaretto and other flavors.

“Greg would have been so ecstatic,” Stefanie said. “I learned that our time together is so precious. And, in the end, that’s what matters. I felt Greg’s presence while the musicians played and I was so happy because I love the way music festival brings so many people together from the elderly, to parents pulling wagons full of kids and dogs across the symphony lawn—all come to visit this amazing experience that’s absolutely free. I guess you could say music is another way to fly."

SEASON FINALE TONIGHT!

The Sun Valley Music Festival will bid adieu to its 2024 Summer Symphony Season tonight—Thursday, Aug. 22—with a rousing presentation of Ottorino Respighi’s “Pines of Rome.” In addition, pianist Garrick Ohlsson will perform Sergei Rachmaninoff’s “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.”

The free concert starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Sun Valley Pavilion.