The community is mourning a dear friend this week as Patti Finley, music and performing arts teacher at Winona Elementary School, passed away last Thursday from cancer.

Patti was one of my very first friends after moving to the area in 2007.

Shortly after I started at the newspaper, Patti stopped by my office to introduce herself and tell me about the new music program beginning at Winona Elementary School. We visited for a while about our mutual love of the arts and theatre, and as she got up to leave, she hugged my neck and said, "I am so happy to have made a new friend."

From that moment, we were the best of friends, as well as neighbors. Living just two doors behind me, Patti and I would sit on my porch swing for hours laughing and talking about nothing really, and it was as if we had known each other for years.

For those who knew her personally, a few words from Patti, and the day was brightened. Her positive attitude, originality and child-like enthusiasm were down-right contagious. Being around Patti was truly refreshing, and since her passing, I have revisited every "Patti story" she would tell with that burst of laughter that seemed to hang in the air around her like the music she produced.

So many people have spoken of Patti and her talent and legacy in music, but my story is different. Oh, I was her biggest fan - repeatedly amazed at how she could nurture the talents of her young students. I will remember Patti best as a wonderful, encouraging kindred spirit, and I was fortunate enough to have called her a friend.