Don Bestor, Jr., was born into music royalty, and he was fortunate enough to love music as much as it loved him. Don’s father, who was his namesake, was the famed bandleader for the Jack Benny Radio Program and also the guy who came up with the jingle for J-E-L-L-O, and Don’s mother, Beulah, was a cover model.

Like his father, Bestor, Jr., was an accomplished professional musician, and whether you’ve dined at local favorites like 2nd Street Bistro, upscale eateries like Stuart’s Café Martier, or enjoyed Tuesday or Wednesday evening Jazz Jams at the Sunrise Black Box, the Fort Pierce Yacht Club, Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens, or any number of private parties, special events, and fundraising events between Jupiter and Sebastian, you’ve likely been entertained by the magic Bestor created on the keyboard. Locally, Don was often the man behind the soundtrack of many of your favorite events and activities here on the Treasure Coast because, for many years, Don served as the president of the Fort Pierce Jazz and Blues Society, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the importance of music and music education and providing opportunities for live, professional music throughout the region.

Like so many members of the Fort Pierce Jazz and Blues Society, Bestor enjoyed a successful career as a professional musician and had the opportunity to play with and for some of the legends of show business. But you’d have to spend a lot of time with him before you were able to tease that information out of him because he’s typically more likely to toot someone else’s horn instead of his own. That tendency to help encourage up and coming musicians, particularly those who have a passion for performance music and potential, is one of the reasons why Fort Pierce Jazz and Blues Society, a very small nonprofit organization, has been so successful for more than a quarter of a century.

Under Bestor’s leadership, members of Fort Pierce Jazz and Blues Society have provided master classes and performances in local schools, mentored some of the area’s newest talent, and helped ensure that the art of live performance and the soundtrack of our lives will continue for generations to come. Since its inception, Fort Pierce Jazz and Blues Society has provided more than $100,000 in scholarships for area students pursuing a career in performance music or music education. Accomplishing all this with a small group of dedicated volunteers is nothing short of miraculous, but under Don’s leadership, members of Fort Pierce Jazz and Blues Society have proven to be believers in the magic of music and the miracles it makes.

To say that Don played the piano would be a colossal understatement. Don didn’t just play a piano – his fingers on a keyboard had the ability to melt away the ivory and turn the hammered vibrations of a keyboard and strings into something as smooth as butter or as light as a breath. Don Bestor, Jr., gave a piano life and turned that inanimate object into magical music. Whether it was sweet and soulful, bluesy or ballsy, rockin’ or  rich – it all depended on how Don wanted his audience to respond. He was not just good; he was more than masterful at the keyboard.

And while Don may not have achieved the kind of fame (or notoriety) his dad did, he became a legend in the hearts of all those he did meet and whose lives were touched by his musical magic and his lightning-fast sense of humor. It would be hard to find a single musician Don performed with during his lifetime career of making music who would not have at least one story of Don’s world-class sense of humor and quick ability to launch a grenade of hilarity or send flying a snarky comeback. It would be even harder to find someone who didn’t have a story about Don’s generosity or love of music.

Last year, while he was battling the illness that was slowly robbing him of his breath, he and his beloved wife, Debbie, traveled to a place that had been advertised as a feline rescue facility. They rescued Sam, a cat whose back story was already tragic, but who was so secretly and  profoundly ill that within hours of bringing him home, Don and Debbie were at an emergency veterinary facility trying to save Sam’s life. Nearly ten thousand dollars later and after helping Sam defy the extraordinarily high odds of failure the vet had advised for an animal they’d just met, Don and Debbie were finally able to welcome a recuperating and exceptionally grateful and loving Sam into their family.

When asked if they had ever considered the cost involved and how much it impacted them financially, Don was shocked that such a question would even come up for consideration. After all, the little guy was sick and needed help, explained Don. He was equally loyal to friends and fellow musicians, too, and his heart had an abundance of space for helping young musicians who were serious about learning the craft, sharing suggestions, tips, connections, and helping to launch the musical dreams of scores of youth through scholarships, mentoring, and connections they made as a result of their affiliation with the Fort Pierce Jazz and Blues Society. But for Don, everything came back to making and sharing music. Everything.

Don Bestor wanted to play piano more than anything else – towards the end of his life, he shared that he wanted to play piano more than he wanted to breathe. During one hospital stay, he had a keyboard brought into his room, and he performed and provided music for the other patients, nursing staff, and to help himself heal enough to go home, where he could go back to playing again. Even in the weeks when his days were filled with Hospice and hospitals, Debbie would become a roadie and carry all Don’s equipment and set it up at a restaurant, club, or other gig, and Don would configure his oxygen tube and tank to be as discreet as possible before blowing the crowd away with his larger-than-life talent.

If you’ve enjoyed live music during the past 25 years on the Treasure Coast, there’s a very distinct possibility that Don Bestor was either behind that music – or at least behind the keyboard. So many events, venues, restaurants, and activities that have happened in the area have had a soundtrack provided by Don or members of the Fort Pierce Jazz and Blues Society.

Don died early in the morning on Wednesday, February 21^st.  And while the music will continue, just as Don would have wanted, all of us who had an opportunity to spend time with Don and enjoy his musical magic, are wandering through the world that is a little out of step today. It’s as if, without Don, we’re having a little trouble finding the right key. We know he would laugh about that and try to tactfully tap a little harder on a key note to help us out, and somehow, just knowing that helps us realize that, though he may have completed his concert here on earth, he’s left behind a legacy of love, laughter, and music that all of us will carry with us until it’s time to take our own final bow. We are grateful for Don Bestor, Jr., for his leadership of Fort Pierce Jazz and Blues Society, is friendship and humor, and most of all, we are grateful to have been part of the magic of his music and the place he loved to call home.