Today, tomorrow and forever

Patsy Cline devotees, including her daughter Julie Fudge (with bouquet in hand), lay roses at the singer’s grave on Saturday at Shenandoah Memorial Park after a memorial for the area native.

Country singer George Hamilton IV (left), Patsy Cline’s daughter Julie Fudge, and Cline’s second husband Charlie Dick (right) sing a tribute on Saturday near the end of the service.

by Jessica J. Burchard
The Winchester Star

Photos by Rick Foster

Winchester — Trekking hundreds of miles to Winchester for the annual Patsy Cline memorial has been a 20-year tradition for Don Harvey.

Harvey, of Ontario, brought his immediate family with him to Sunday’s event at Shenandoah Memorial Park, 1270 Front Royal Pike. He had a total of 10 family members, including his parents, siblings, and cousins.

"We plan all vacations every year to drive down here for this," Harvey, 39, said.

Harvey’s love of Cline’s music and legacy began 20 years ago when he found his mother’s copy of Cline’s greatest hits.

Now, he’s obsessed with the country singer.

"I started out with one album. Now I have over 200," he said. "[Cline] has so many great songs; I just love them all."

The Canadian family gathered with about 60 others for the yearly tribute to Cline — who who was born on Sept. 8, 1932, and died in a plane crash on March 5, 1963.

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Country singer and songwriter George Hamilton IV encouraged the crowd to enjoy their recollections of Cline and not mourn her death. He had worked with Cline on "The Jimmy Dean Show," where both performed.

"It’s not that sad of an occasion because we’re celebrating Patsy’s life," he said. "and what she meant to us and what she still means all over the world."

Hamilton used an upcoming British Patsy Cline Tribute concert as an example of the singer’s continued popularity. The concert is scheduled for Sept. 12 in Felixstaw, England.

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After Hamilton finished speaking, a trio of women sang "He Walks With Me." The youngest singer in the group, Amber Brooke, has been a Cline fan from early childhood.

"I’ve been singing every since I was little - all the big country singers," she said. "I always have some Patsy Cline songs."

Amber, 16, came to the tribute with her mother Jennifer Kochel from Bursborough, Pa.

"It’s an honor to be here and sing Patsy Cline songs," she added.

Besides performing a Cline song, Amber was able to meet several of the singer’s family members.

Cline’s widow Charlie Dick returned to Winchester for the event — along with daughter, Julie Fudge, and her children.

"It’s very nice to have people remember her in such a light," Fudge said, regarding the showing of Cline’s fans.

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This year marked the 20th anniversary of the remembrance event sponsored by Celebrating Patsy Cline Inc. — a nonprofit group run by Cline fans. Cline was born in Gore and grew up in Winchester.

Many in attendance had a special connection to Cline when she was alive.

One woman recalled recalled chatting with Cline on a ride to the airport in July 1962.

"I drove Patsy to the airport and she was throwing cherry pits out the window saying she wanted to plant cherry trees from Richmond to Harrisonburg," said Joanne Thomas, a radio host from Lebanon, Pa.

Through her husband, a musician on "The Jimmy Dean Show," Thomas had a close connection with Cline.

"We spent our honeymoon at their house," she said of the Cline family. "They were just great people."