BATIE PLAYS SWAN SONG

    Last Sunday marked the end of an era at the First Lutheran Church in Britton.
    Lona Batie has been the organist/pianist at the church for 38 years, also serving as choir director, and next week she will be moving to Jamestown, ND, to be nearer to family.  But the ripples she is leaving behind will likely be felt for decades to come.
    In recognition of her years of dedication, Batie will be recognized during the 10 a.m. coffee hour following this Sunday’s church service.
    She has not only blessed her church community with her musical abilities but also impacted thousands of young people through her years of teaching vocal music at the Britton-Hecla school and teaching piano lessons.
    First Lutheran’s interim pastor, Corky Spitler, who has been in the community just a few months but has served about 15 different congregations through the years, said he doesn’t think members of his congregation realize “how spoiled they have been.”
    “Lona is one of the best church musicians that I have ever worked with,” said Pastor Spitler.  “I’ve known only one or two that were anything close to her skill set.  Most of them were technically competent but didn’t bring the same enthusiasm that Lona has. She’s just a fabulous musician, picks some incredible music, and plays it very well.”
    Love of music, and especially the piano, has been a constant for most of Batie’s life.  Her father, who played the trombone in the National Guard Band and for area dance bands when she was growing up in Wahpeton, ND, was an early musical influence.  He was the one who found an old piano, fixed it up, and got his daughter started on piano lessons as a fifth grader, which turned out to be life-changing.
    “I had an epiphany when taking lessons, probably in my third year,” remembered Batie.  “One day a light bulb came on and everything kind of fell into shape.  From then on, I could sight read pretty well and music playing was not as difficult as I thought.  I think it definitely was a God thing.”
    She quit taking lessons as an eighth grader and began being an accompanist for choirs.  Then, as a high school sophomore, she started playing for churches.  Batie credited her high school choir director for instilling that necessary confidence and for being her biggest “cheerleader.”  And as they say, the rest is history.
    After graduating from Wahpeton High School Batie earned a degree in music education with a minor in piano at Moorhead (MN) State University.  She took her first teaching job in Raymond, MN, in 1972 and along the way held positions in Sisseton, Summit, Veblen, and Britton, as well as taking time off to be a mother to three kids.  She retired from B-H in 2020.
    Becoming a choral director was something that wasn’t on Batie’s radar early in her life.  
    “Growing up, I definitely didn’t want to be a music conductor.  In those days very few women were conducting anything, and I just figured I wouldn’t like it.  But after I got into it, I loved it.”
    Becoming involved with the church in most of her stops throughout life was pretty much a given.
    “As soon as people know you can play the piano or organ they are after you to help out at church,” said Batie.  “Church has always been a big part of my life, and if needed, I always tried to do it.”
    At First Lutheran that included not only Saturday night and Sunday services, but also accompanying for special music and playing for weddings and funerals.  That means there was a lot going on behind the scenes.
    “It seems like I was always practicing for something and would usually practice at least an hour a day and sometimes an hour twice a day.  I think weddings were the most difficult because I would try to find the music that suited the bride, and playing for a half hour is a lot of music.  Funerals could also be difficult and sometimes I had to bite my cheek to try and keep my emotions at bay.”
    In addition, after retiring from teaching, she gave of her time to help with church planning.
    “Lona was just wonderful and great to work with,” said recently-retired Pastor Terrill Sorensen, who was the church’s pastor for 21 of Batie’s 38 years.  “And she was a help in more ways than just music.  She was part of our staff meeting every week and helped talk about where we were going and what we were doing.  Lona also had a good sense about selecting music for the church and choir.  She had a large impact and will certainly be missed.”   
    Batie likes the organ, but she loves the piano.
    “There is so much music out there for piano.  Every color of the rainbow is out there.  The organ playing came about when I started playing for weddings when I was in high school, and I took organ lessons in college.  The biggest difference is with the organ you have to activate your feet and be coordinated,” she said with a chuckle.”
    In addition to all of her church-related activities, Batie currently is teaching piano lessons to 14 students.  Even with the move, those lessons will continue.
    “During COVID we did lessons on zoom and it was very successful.  So we’re going to finish out the year doing that with the kids that are able to do it.”
    Fellow musician, church choir member, and good friend Sandy Hastings stressed that Batie is not only a gifted musician but has that rare ability to bring out the best in others.
    “Musically, she can do anything that is asked of her and is incredibly gifted, but she also can work with the rest of us to do the best that we can do,” noted Hastings.  “She has a way of working with people, whether it’s a choir, a piano player, or even soloists at a funeral that brings out the best in them.   She inspires us to do better.”
    What’s next?  Batie isn’t sure what the future holds, but she is certain that music will always be a part of it.
    “Music is like my heartbeat, it keeps me going.  It’s a gift from God and I promised to play as long as I could.  I would be totally lost if I didn’t have music.”