Jennifer Small ’77

Published in the Sept. 14, 2016, Issue

The following is an expanded version of a memorial from the Sept. 14, 2016, issue.

Jennifer died Monday, June 15, 2015, in Lake Oswego, Ore., at the Oregon Health and Science University’s Knight Cancer Institute, after suffering with pancreatic cancer. She was 59 years old.

Jennifer was an accomplished violinist who studied violin at Juilliard and earned a law degree from the Southwestern School of Law in Los Angeles. After graduating from Princeton, Jennifer moved to Los Angeles where she worked as a musician in the recording studios, working on movies including Indiana Jones, Aladdin, and Die Hard. Her resume includes the Broadway musical (and DVD recording) of Sweeney Todd, performances at the opening ceremonies of the 1976 Montreal and 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, and recording with Barbra Streisand, Frank Sinatra, and jazz musician Diane Schuur. In addition, she performed with eminent orchestral conductors and organizations, especially enjoying the American Ballet Theatre, as well as backing up pop artists like Michael Jackson, George Benson, and Marvin Gaye.

In 1990 Jennifer married Stephen Agritelley. She graduated from law school, passed the California bar exam, briefly practiced labor law in San Francisco, and moved to Arizona in 1996. She passed the Arizona bar exam and started raising her family. In 2004 the family relocated to Lake Oswego, Ore. Jennifer loved volunteering in the Lake Oswego public schools — particularly the music department —and teaching violin to local students.

Jennifer is survived by her husband, Stephen; her sons Matthew and Ethan Agritelley; her loving parents, Emily and Charles Small, from Scottsdale Ariz; and her brother, David Small, from Syracuse, N.Y.

Classmate Elaine Smith ’77 summed up her memory of Jennifer by saying, “Didi, as she was known to her friends, was this wonderful combination of ferocious intelligence, wit, and compassion. She was always ready with a shoulder and an infectious laugh that made anyone’s day better. And when she picked up her violin to play for you, she could make you cry.”