For decades, composer, musician and teacher Gerald Hartley helped the youth of Spokane become architects of their own fates as he mentored them with music.
Hartley, 99, died at home earlier this month surrounded by family.
Hartley was born on Sept. 18, 1921, into a family of Spokane greats.
His grandfather, Wesley Stone, was the pharmacist who established Elk Drug Store in 1902, according to Hartley’s obituary written by the family.
His father, Fred Hartley, was a fixture in the Spokane music community in the 1920s and 1930s, even serving as the musical director of the KHQ Studio Parade Orchestra.
So music came naturally to Hartley, who
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