Dr. Miguel Ayerve

09.19.05 - new song by spouse

josé ayerve - vocals, guitars, bass
dan pollard - drums (loop), sk-5 keyboard, bass (loop)
robert voyer - piano (loop)
michael merenda - drum kit (coda)
jj o'connell - additional percussion
ken maiuri - keyboard

written and recorded by spouse
mixed by mark alan miller at slaughterhouse
copyright 2005, spousemusic, ascap

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My father, Dr. Miguel A. Ayerve died on September 19, 2005. Since his death was sudden and rather tragic, I hope those of you who knew him or know my family, will join me in remembering his many, many contributions and accomplishments in life. He was an incredible father; always very generous, very detailed, very kind, funny, compassionate, and inclusive. My father was a very studious man who worked for many years as a teacher, and many more as a school psychologist. He was an avid mountain climber while growing up in Ecuador, and though he didn't play an instrument, I credit him with my musical talents and inclinations, and I assure you that he had a beautiful voice, very simple and harmonious, (though you only ever got to hear him around Christmas time). He quite literally and figuratively, had a very large heart. He will always be missed, and he will always be remembered.

j.ayerve - 10.25.05


[above: Miguel Ayerve on July 23, 2005]

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- NEWS -

Portland, Maine musicians and artists prepare 2nd Benefit event: press release

On Friday, November 11th, my many friends in Portland, Maine will be hosting a benefit concert for my father's memorial scholarship fund at Space Gallery (538 Congress St.). Performers include: ThrutheWires, The Funeral, Bully Club, Seekonk, Sontiago, Kamikaze Hearts, Spouse, and the Nuclear Waste Management Club. The event will begin at 8pm and I'm not sure what the ticket price will be just yet, but I believe it will be around $10. It should be a great night of music, and I hope that those of you in the area that evening will be able to join us. I assure you that my family and the students of the Springfield Public Schools in Massachusetts appreciate and thank you for your support.

About the scholarship fund:

My father worked for the Springfield Public School System for thirty years; first as a foreign language teacher, and later as a school psychologist. He was very proud of the work he did. Additionally, he worked as a translator for the school department. This job he continued to do even after retiring in October of 2004. It is my family's intention to establish a scholarship that will help students as they venture to the next stage of learning whether it may be college, or trade school, etc. We're still formulating our ideas about the fund and we hope to give consideration to students who have suffered a similar loss and need some extra help to get to their next stage of learning. We also hope to recognize students who, like my father, have achieved remarkable fetes in the area of foreign languages, including students who have arrived in the US and have done wonders with and through their English language ability. More details will be forthcoming. I have acquired the domains:   miguelayerve.com, miguelayerve.net, and miguelayerve.org to serve as the urls for information about the scholarship.


Regarding the memorial events:

1. Sunday, Oct. 9, 2005 - Apollo Grill, Easthampton, MA - 5pm   to 12:30am - $25 ticket/donation includes incredible food and entertainment.   There will be an auction for items donated by a variety of Valley artists, and scheduled performers include New Radiant Storm King, Michael Merenda (the Mammals), Winterpills, Lou Barlow, Mark Schwaber, National Carpet, Henning Ohlenbusch, Steve Sanderson, Ray Mason, the Lonesome Brothers, Doug Cowan, The Mitchells, Red Door Exchange, and myself (J. Ayerve) with the Nuclear Waste Management Club, and Spouse.  completed

[thank you note: this event helped raise over $7000 for the memorial scholarship fund! Thank you to all who attended and who helped make this event an enormous success.]

2. Monday, Oct. 10, 2005 - St. Catherine of Sienna, Springfield, MA - Parker St. (1/2 mi north of intersection with Wilbraham Rd.) - 11:30am - Mass in memory of Miguel A. Ayerve, co-celebrated by Fr. Charles Gonet & Fr. Timothy J. Murphy.   There will be a reception in the parish hall immediately following the service.   completed

[thank you to Michael Lemieux, John Keith, and Noble Feast Catering for the beautiful spread which made the reception a very comfortable and memorable celebration of my father's life.]

3. Friday, Nov. 11, 2005 - SPACE Gallery, Portland, ME - 8pm - 1am - $10 ticket/donation, evening of entertainment and performances by: Sontiago, Bully Club, Kamikaze Hearts, the Funeral, ThrutheWires, Seekonk, Spouse, and the Nuclear Waste Management Club, advance tickets available at all Bull Moose Music locations.   upcoming

About Dr. Miguel A. Ayerve:

Miguel A. Ayerve was a father, a psychologist, a linguist, a teacher, a mountain climber, a writer, a philosopher, and a religious man, besides many other things.   He was also an excellent leader, organizer, and humorist.   Born in 1937, the youngest of eight brothers and sisters in the town of Riobamba, Ecuador, he studied for many years with the Jesuit priests.   In his youth, Miguel Ayerve climbed many of the highest peaks in the Andes, before being sent to study abroad in Belgium at the Université de Louvain.   There, he studied Philosophy, Sociology, French, Latin, English, and Italian.   While attending a conference in Bogota, Colombia in 1969, he met Teresa Jaramillo.   They married in October of 1971.  

Carmen Lucía was born in December of 1972.   Jose Ignacio was born in April of 1974.   Shortly after the birth of their son, Miguel and Teresa relocated the family to Springfield, Massachusetts.   The Ayerve family was very well received in their new hometown. Miguel began working as a bilingual teacher for the Springfield Public School System.   In 1981, Miguel took a sabbatical leave and moved his family to Quito Ecuador, where he began the coursework for what would become his Doctorate in Education.   Upon returning to Springfield in 1982, he completed his Doctoral degree at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst.    He continued working as a school psychologist, and translator until retiring from the Springfield Public School System in October of 2004.   In June of 2005, he and his wife moved to their new home in Port St. Lucie, Florida where they enjoyed retirement during three beautiful months before his sudden and tragic death on September 19, 2005, while on vacation in Bogotá.  

He is remembered for being a proud and compassionate father and husband, a loyal friend to many, a determined and disciplined worker, and overall a very loving and generous man.   His dry and powerful sense of humor brought a smile to everyone he knew.   He will be severely missed by all, but mostly by his wife Teresa, his daughter Carmen Lucia and her husband Russell Queen, and his son Jose Ignacio.  


Thank you for reading - J.A.



Below is a copy of the words that I shared at my father's cremation ceremony.

For those of you who do not read Spanish, I regret to inform you that I won't be translating these words to English for at least the immediate future. Eventually, when I get a moment, I'll do my best to translate it.

Palabras para Miguel A. Ayerve - en español