St. Mary organist retires at age 87

By DIANE SCHLINDWEIN
Managing Editor

MARSHALL — On May 31, Damian Macey, organist at St. Mary Church in Marshall for about two-thirds of his life, played his last Sunday Mass for the parish. He first played the organ at that church beginning in the late 1940s when he was just 10 years old.  He continued to play there as a teenager and returned to the parish as a family man in 1975 to share his skills again.   Now 87, he says it was time to retire. 

Macey laughs when he recalls his early days as a music student. “My mother and dad weren’t musical, but I was about 8 or 9 and was really intrigued by the organ.  I took lessons and after a while my music teacher told me I really needed a place to practice,” he said. “So, I was riding my bicycle home that day and noticed the woman who owned the funeral home was on her porch.  I was a little bit scared but went up there and asked her if I could practice playing on the funeral home organ. She said they would love to hear the music — they lived above the funeral home.  That’s how I got started with my practices. But oh, my mother was furious with me!  She said, ‘That’s their home! How could you ask that?’ So that went on for about a year, and then my parents bought me an organ for our house.” Being a young boy practicing at a funeral home never bothered him a bit, Macey adds.

Macey earned an accounting degree from Indiana State University and not surprisingly took two years of organ study. He also has a master’s degree from DePaul University in Chicago with post graduate work at the University of Wisconsin and Harvard Business School. Both he and his wife, Eleanor, have graduate degrees and continued in their studies even after that, he says.  “We put a lot of emphasis on education and music and every year we give two scholarships to area students,” he explained. 

After college, Damian and Eleanor lived in the Chicago area, where he worked and was also an organist at St. Athanasius Church in Evanston, and St. Mary Church in Lake Forest.  Their two children, Emma and George — who are both retired now — took music lessons, too, Damian said, adding that he’s happy Emma has decided to resume playing now that she has the time. 

The Macey family returned to their hometown of Marshal just about the time the parish organist was leaving the position.  “So, I just kind of picked up where I left off,” Macey said.  That was 51 years ago. “Eleanor was a cantor at St. Mary for 20 years,” he added. In 1994, Macey’s mother, Gertrude Macey, donated a large 3-manual organ and choir seating for the church. 

“I played at Mass on Saturday evenings and then on Sunday mornings,” said Macey, who is a member of the American Guild of Organists. “If we took a trip, we would leave after Sunday Mass and were always back in time for Mass on Saturday.” Much of the time he was the only organist, but for the last few years he says he has had regular back-up. He was also organist for First Methodist in Paris for 10 years, Immaculate Conception at St. Mary of the Woods Shrine, and First Congregational in Marshall. He still plays at St. Mary Church in Paris once a month. He has provided music for a multitude of weddings, funerals, and programs in Wabash Valley churches. And Macey not only plays keyboard instruments; he also played clarinet in the Marshall City Band for 35 years. 

In addition to providing music for all those places, he owned LPL Financial Services until 2000, when he sold the business and he and Eleanor retired. Over the years he’s remained active in the community he truly cares about.  He is a past president of the Parish Council, the Finance Committee, and the Building Committee, and was Grand Knight of the Marshall Knights of Columbus. Among other things, he was a vice president of the Chamber of Commerce, treasurer for several groups, and a leader of the Marshall Historical Preservation Commission and the Clark County Historical Society. He is a 50-year member of the Rotary Club and is currently on several committees and is president of the Friends of the Marshall Library. 

Besides music, Damian and Eleanor love to travel. They have been to 60 countries and all 50 states.  “We’ve been to every continent except Antarctica,” he said. “I’m glad we went when we did.” 

Macey, who also has a professional organ in his home, says after 77 years of church music, he finally decided to retire — and he’s OK with that decision. “Age makes a little difference,” he said. “And well, I guess after all this time, I’ve earned a little reprieve.”