Musician, comedian, honest, contemplative, sensitive
If someone needed a reality check, Kevin delivered it with his signature, and much appreciated, blunt candor, and afterwards he could lighten their mood with comedian-level humor and a contagious laugh.
Kevin’s blended family, including three older half-sisters, Beth, Michelle, and Jodi, one younger brother, Zachary, and a baby sister, Katie. They were close and spent summer breaks fishing for walleye in Red Lake, Ontario. They watched Wisconsin sports teams, but most importantly, they saw live bands. Music bonded the family, and each had special talents. Their father was a professional musician and guitarist; Kevin was a drummer; Jodi, a singer; Zachary, a singer and pianist; and Katie simply had impeccable taste.
Kevin and Katie shared a profound friendship built on music. They listened to their favorite band, Hot Water Music’s, latest albums and attended concerts together. “No Division” was a childhood favorite. Katie also loved watching Kevin drum. He was destined to become an unbelievable musician from the moment he raised his first pair of drumsticks at eighteen months old. Completely self-taught, he had a great work ethic, performed in many bands, and played his green Gretsch drum kit for pure enjoyment. Kevin loved sharing music, and this legacy continued after his death when his beloved drum set was donated to a local school district.
Katie was one person Kevin never withdrew from. She became the only connection to his former life, and after a decade of separation, they reunited in Seattle. Katie arrived with five of his favorite hometown shop’s frozen pizzas crammed in her carry-on, which Kevin immediately baked. They watched one last Packer’s game, ate incredible food, and saw Hot Water Music live. When the band played their favorite song “Rooftops”, they wrapped their arms around each other and sang, teary-eyed:
“Hey world, are you listening?
Are you listening to me?
I’m here and I’m hurting to begin again.
Hey world, I’m ready to listen
And learn something new.
I’m here, and I’m willing
To get myself through.”
No lyrics encapsulated him better. He had been through so much, but in that moment, the old Kevin was back, ready to begin again. He was in active recovery; he had Bianca, his partner of over ten years, his best friend, and love of his life in his corner. He made a beautiful home in Shoreline, Washington, with Bianca, their pug, Floyd, and English bulldog, Lily. Kevin built a masonry business, restoring structures throughout the greater Seattle, Washington area. For the first time in years, it felt like there was hope.
Two months later, Katie received the heartbreaking call that Kevin had passed. She bore the loss of her oldest friend, someone who’d known her in every phase of her life, and the one person who understood her best. Humor and music comfort her in the grief unique to having loved and lost a sibling for thirty years. They remind her of Kevin and revive in her the gratitude of having had an older brother so extraordinary and full of life.
Kevin’s sister, Katie Schumacher, provided the information for this narrative. January 25, 1984-March 3, 2020–Age 36
Portrait Artist: Elizabeth Jones
Narrative Writer: Willow Kline
