It is with great sadness that we share that Jon Gailmor, beloved singer/songwriter, champion for children’s creativity, and dear friend to CLiF, died of leukemia on Sunday, November 30. He was 77.

As one of our professional presenters, Jon was a vital part of the CLiF community; visiting our grantees across Vermont and New Hampshire to present songwriting residencies, family literacy events, summer reading celebrations, book giveaways, and professional development workshops. He always showed up with a twinkle in his eye and guitar in hand, eager to engage around reading, writing, music, and literacy.

I first met Jon when he came to my small Roxbury, Vt. elementary school for a songwriting residency, way back in the ’80s. My class wrote a song about cluster flies and performed for our families on risers, feeling pretty pro with Jon’s skilled guitar playing accompanying us. Fast forward many years later, and I reconnected with Jon when I joined CLiF.

Easy to love, Jon was always someone who greeted you with warmth, ease, and a hug if you wanted one. When I would email him about a possible CLiF visit, he would respond by phone because he liked to hear human voices and make that personal connection, even if just for a two-minute phone call to confirm a schedule at a school.

In March 2024, Jon shared the hard news that he had been diagnosed with leukemia, and would need to step down from his role as a CLiF presenter. Soon after, he moved to New Orleans to be closer to his son and grandchildren, leaving behind a proud legacy of Green Mountain music. Of course, being Jon, he quickly embraced his new home state, but his fondness for Vermont never waned. In an email to CLiF last spring, he wrote:

“My dear, beloved friends–I so wish I could be with y’all, not only for your special events, but every moment! As you can tell by my second-person pronoun, I now live in New Orleans permanently, though Vermont and especially y’all, will always be in my heart! 

“Keep up your magical, life-changing work. Our hurting world, children young and old, needs you desperately!”

Jon was special to so many people, across many years and musical adventures. I like to think of him jamming on the guitar, smiling at the audience, filling any sized room with his gift of presence, and getting even the most recalcitrant sixth grader to sing. He affirmed for me that literacy is everywhere and you simply need to tune in to its magic. It’s a jingle, it’s a child making up goofy potty humor rhymes, it’s melodic chords, and it’s the power of storytelling.

We were so lucky to have him in our orbit. In Jon’s own words, here is his legacy (among many other things):

Students learn and discover the beauty of words and the unlimited potential each child has to create lyrical and musical masterpieces. Principles of reading and writing are unearthed, as the process unfolds. Lessons present themselves, as the fledgling songwriters brainstorm, listen to each other’s ideas, appreciate their classmates’ perspectives and end up with a collective, collaborative piece of beauty. They learn to use the absolute best words in every situation, in order to make their composition truly come alive. 

Ownership is key, from the moment they choose their theme to the creation of the final melodic note. The emphasis is on vivid writing, so the listener can really picture what the composers are singing about. Discovering the magic of our language, when used like paints by a classroom of Picassos, is a revelation for the children, which becomes a skill to enhance their lives forever.