Khalil Gibran once said, “Music is the language of the spirit. It opens the secret of life bringing peace, abolishing strife.” Lee Nguyen embodied passion, talent, and love of music. Before his unexpected death on June 9th 2021, Nguyen was more than a musician to the Xavier Music Department. He was a friend, a familiar face and someone who could make anyone laugh. In the fall of 2016, Nguyen started his time as the household piano tuner and accompanist of Xavier High School. This added to his long list of experience, as he also served for Linn Mar, City High, West High, Liberty High, and many other high schools throughout the state. Matt Walker, the previous choir director at Xavier, met Lee Nguyen at the University of Iowa, when the pair were respectively completing their graduate and undergraduate programs. “Lee was an exceptional musician and collaborator, but was an even better human and friend. I will always remember his laughter, his positivity, and his artistry. He will be missed dearly,” Walker said. From owning his own restaurant, to playing competitive ping pong, Lee Nguyen was known as a fun-loving, spirit- building jack of all trades. His infectious humor helped him gain many friends in his 44 short years on earth. One of these was Cindy Shadrick, local voice teacher and musician. “Lee was one of my favorite musicians to collaborate with and a dear friend. Singing with him at the piano was like having your mom tuck you in at night. You never had anything to be afraid of-he would always take care of you. We talked all the time-usually around 4am when both of our insomniac brains were wide awake. He and I were opposite in so many ways-he was always disorganized, scatterbrained, and late. But he was also so much more creative and talented than I could ever hope to be. I will forever miss being able to turn to my right and wink at each other as we begin our next aria. But mostly, I’ll miss gossiping with him in the wee hours of the morning,” Shadrick said. In his years at Xavier, Lee was beloved by countless high school students. Every time Nguyen walked into a room at Xavier High School, he was warmly greeted by a swarm of students who screamed, “LEE!” Current senior Lauren Holverson, worked with Nguyen in choir for over three years. “I remember our ensemble always being so excited to hear Lee was coming when a concert was upcoming. The parting words the last time I saw him were, ‘Hey girl! You’re a senior next year, right? I’m so excited to have one more year with you.’ He never failed to make me smile outside of the classroom either, with his quick remarks around the hallways,” Holverson said. Sadly, Holverson never got to complete that year with him. The news of his death was shocking and a long list of memorials were commented on his Facebook. Nguyen touched so many lives and impacted so many people in his short life. His talent, passion, and love is missed by everyone he met.