Founder of Spring Valley Community Band dies at 90

Joan Wellander Kleppe, founder of Schaumburg's Spring Valley Concert Band, died late last week at the age of 90.

Kleppe also was a retired Chicago Police Department secretary who published a 2006 book, "Kids 'N' Cops," containing snippets of letters from children who'd participated in the Officer Friendly program.

Kleppe also published a more recent autobiography called "Clean Dirt: Chronicles of a Farmer's Daughter."

While her life story tells of her youth on a Wisconsin dairy farm and raising three children as a single mother, it was by founding the Spring Valley Concert Band in 1994 that she really transformed her adopted hometown of Schaumburg.

"Joan was absolutely passionate about the importance of music, for kids, for adults, for creating culture within a community," said Betsy Armistead, Schaumburg's director of cultural services.

In 1994 Kleppe wrote to Schaumburg's cultural commission seeking village support for a community band.

The band would be largely self-supporting, providing its own instruments and most everything else, she promised. The only thing it really wanted from the village was a place to rehearse.

The band took its name from the geographical area of Spring Valley rather than the village, which might have implied it was receiving financial assistance, said current band President Paula Waterman.

In 2004, the band won Schaumburg's Volunteer Organization of the Year Award. It regularly performs free concerts, performing at the village's Memorial Day observance and at an annual fundraiser for the Schaumburg Township Food Pantry, Waterman said.

Kleppe, a trombonist, played in the band from 1994 until about four years ago, when declining health forced her to stop. But she still came to rehearsals and concerts as often as she could, Waterman said.

Kleppe's son, Tom Wellander, has also been an active member of the band since the beginning, owning most if not all of its percussion instruments, Waterman said.

Visitation for Kleppe will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, at St. Peter Lutheran Church, 202 E. Schaumburg Road in Schaumburg, with a memorial service to follow at 10:30 a.m.

For more information about the visitation and service, call (847) 885-3350.