The Sweet Briar community was saddened to learn of the death of Jon Conyers on Wednesday morning, Nov. 5. Conyers, 47, had been a riding instructor and coach at the College since 2003. He died at his parents’ home in Fishersville, Va., after battling cancer.

In February of this year, Conyers was presented the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association’s “Lifetime Achievement Award,” the highest honor bestowed by the IHSA and one of the most prestigious awards in collegiate riding.

Jon ConyersAt the time, Shelby French, Sweet Briar’s director of riding, said, “For such a young man, Jon’s influence has been amazingly far reaching because of the number of programs, coaches and riders with whom he has had the opportunity to share his passion for horses, quality riding and the IHSA.”

At Sweet Briar, Conyers influence reached beyond the riding stables. He was a good sport, volunteering to dress as a princess for a student fundraiser, and, having recently rediscovered his love of singing, taking weekly voice lessons from voice instructor Marcia Thom.

Thom vividly recalls the day when Conyers told her he had cancer. “It was the lesson after he had been to the doctor to get the results back of his [tests], and I was, of course, wanting him to take the lead on where the conversation would go,” she said. “He said “Well, I’ve lived a good life and I don’t have any regrets.’ Then I cried and we went on from there, and we did not talk about it again.”

Thom said he was a “faithful student” who enjoyed singing classical and sacred music and Broadway show tunes. “It was just a very special time,” she said. “He would have to come in sometimes and sit while we sang. We would do as much as he hand the energy for. We laughed a lot. We really laughed a lot, and I think it was good therapy for both of us.”

At the College’s inaugural Fringe Festival last winter, Conyers sang “The Only Home I Know” from the musical “Shenandoah.” When he finished, there was not a dry eye in the house. “It was because of his beautiful singing, not because of the situation. … He was really a very gifted singer,” Thom said. “He had a wonderful tenor voice, really wonderful.”

Conyers, who had once planned to use his music degree in Christian education and church music, also sang in the choir at Emmanuel Methodist Church in Amherst, Va., and with FACination, a Lynchburg, Va., ensemble.

Pat Clements, administrative assistant in the president’s office and a FACination member, said the group will dedicate a concert to Conyers in February. “He just touched so many people,” she said. “He has so many friends — not only around here, but other places that he’s lived and taught.”

In the late spring of 2007, Conyers traveled to Botswana and South Africa with a small group of Sweet Briar riders. Jenny Walkiewicz ’09 was among them. “My favorite memory of Jon in Africa was playing spoons with the entire group,” she said. “It was really dark at night so he wore his headlamp to see the cards. I have a picture of him [and] it makes me smile every time I remember the trip.”

It was Conyers’ first trip to Africa, and after his return, he talked enthusiastically about playing pick-up rugby in the African bush and sleeping under the stars, about baobab trees and being charged by an elephant, about touring Robben Island — where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned — and visiting the Cape of Good Hope.

“The water is just unbelievable,” he said of the Cape. “The sky — it’s hard to believe it’s so blue.”

He wanted to return to Africa someday, saying the trip “did enough to whet the appetite to want to go back.”

As of Thursday, Nov. 6, nearly 800 people had left messages on a Web site dedicated to Conyers. Many of them were Sweet Briar riding students.

Brooke Agee ’09 wrote. “… when you walked into a room you could tell he was there, simply because the room just shined and the air was light. Never have I ever known a day when Jon simply didn’t just light a person’s day.

“He meant so much, not just to the riding program but to the students I know who continued to ride because of Jon. He will be sorely missed, and no one will ever be able to fill the shoes he left at the barn.”

Alex Mebane ’12 wrote, “I was more than lucky to have you as my trainer for the last 3 months. From your pink polo, to your ever-positive attitude, and crazy commentary, I loved every lesson with you. … I will never forget the memories I have with you, Jon. I just wish there had been more of them.”

Conyers grew up near Staunton, Va., and began riding when he was 12. He became involved with the collegiate riding association as a student at St. Andrews Presbyterian College when he took a lead role in forming an IHSA team there.

He also served as director of riding at Wesleyan College in Georgia and at his alma mater, and coached at the University of Virginia and Savannah College of Art and Design. While in Georgia, he also owned a horse show management business.

Over the course of his 23-year career, he organized five IHSA national championships, was an active director and committee chairman for the IHSA board of directors for more than a decade, and he coached several national-champion teams and riders.

Visitation will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 7 at Reynolds Hamrick Funeral Home in Waynesboro, Va. A graveside service will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 8 at Tinkling Springs Presbyterian Church in Fishersville, Va. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 30 at Tinkling Springs Presbyterian.

In lieu of flowers, the family is asking that donations be made to Hospice of the Hills in Lynchburg or Caring Bridge.

This weekend, 20 Sweet Briar riders will compete in the Southwest Virginia Hunter/Jumper Association Finals at the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington, Va. There was talk of not competing, but the students decided to proceed as planned and will wear black and pink ribbons in their coach’s honor.

“We’re all really going to go and do our best,” Jordan Fedrizzi ’11 said. “I think we know that Jon would have been proud of us as long as we did our best, so we’re all going to do our best for him.”

Last week, Thom said she told Conyers that he reminded her of the season, of beautiful colors and falling leaves. “I told Jon … that he was the Fall to me. That even though he was dying as happens to things during this season, the colors — his gifts to those around him — were glorious.

“I find it remarkable that God colors death during this season so beautifully. That reminds me of Jon and always will.”