Honoring the Spirit of Jocko

Jocko's vibrant spirit touched the lives of many, and his involvement in various organizations showcased his commitment to equity and inclusivity.

Joaquin “Jocko” Fajardo’s Memorial Service and Celebration of Life began at one of Washington, D.C.’s most visible and inclusive religious institutions and culminated in a festive gathering to toast memories of his countless contributions to the local community.

Friends of the Jocko Fajardo Family

Saturday, November 4, 2023

10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. — Memorial Service, Foundry United Methodist Church, 1500 16th Street, NW

1 to 3 p.m. — Post-service Celebration of Life, Hook Hall, 3400 Georgia Avenue, NW

  • JockoMade Music

    Jocko’s passion for life extended to his passion for music. The music today includes songs that Jocko loved, that he often sang (loudly), that gently remind us of all that he was, and that honor him and our memory of him. Jocko took comfort in music, a part of his quest for the sublime and a search for anything that could match his blazing spirit and all he had to offer the universe - whether poignant, dramatic, philosophical, or uplifting. He could lose his mind over a Sondheim lyric in one moment, cry over the power of Judy Garland’s voice in another, and finish it out with a Whitney dance off. These songs are a tribute to his power, his magic, the depth of his kindness, his romance, his purposefulness, his dedication to creating a home where everyone was welcome, and his yearning for a better world. And that we all miss him, we really really miss him. Jocko was our dreamer who made the world, and our worlds, better - more joyful and more beautiful. May his memory be a blessing and may this music be a reminder of him.

  • Open in Spotify

    Smile
    by Diana Ross

    Songwriters: Charlie Chaplin, John Turner, Geoffrey Parsons

    “Smile, though your heart is aching…”

    The Man That Got Away
    by Judy Garland

    Songwriters: Gus Kahn, Walter Donaldson

    “There is nothing sadder than the one-woman man looking for the man that got away…”

    Nature Boy
    by Natalie Cole

    Songwriter: eden ahbez

    "The greatest thing you'll ever learn Is just to love and be loved in return"

    Take Me to the World
    by Judy Collins

    Songwriter: Stephen Sondheim

    “Take me to the world - somewhere I can walk for miles. I'll hold your hand and know I'm not alone”

    Any Place I Hang My Hat is Home
    by Barbra Streisand

    Songwriters: Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen

    “There's a voice in the lonesome wind…

    “I'm going where a welcome mat is - no matter where that is - 'cause any place I hang my hat is home”

    On the Street Where you Live
    by Dean Martin

    Songwriters: Frederick Loewe, Alan Jay Lerner

    “People stop and stare - they don't bother me, for there's nowhere else on earth that I would rather be

    Let the time go by - I won't care if I can be here on the street where you live.”

    Anyone Can Whistle
    by Tom Wopat

    Songwriter: Stephen Sondheim

    “Maybe you could show me how to let go - lower my guard, learn to be free.

    Maybe if you whistle, whistle for me.”

    Being Alive
    by Voctave (featuring David Phelps)

    Songwriter: Stephen Sondheim

    “Someone to need you too much, Someone to know you too well

    Someone to pull you up short…To put you through hell…

    To give you support… is being alive”

    It All Fades Away
    by Jennifer Nettles (featuring Brandi Carlile)

    Songwriter: Jason Robert Brown

    “There are places I have travelled and so many things I've seen, and it all fades away but you…”

    Children Will Listen
    by Eleri Ward

    Songwriter: Stephen Sondheim

    “Careful the things you say, Children will listen

    Careful the things you do, Children will see and learn”

    Rise Up
    by Andra Day

    Songwriters: Jennifer Decilveo, Cassandra Monique Batie

    “All we need is hope and for that we have each other. Rise Up.”

    Crowded Table
    by The Highwomen

    Songwriters: Lori Mckenna, Natalie Nicole Hemby, Brandi Marie Carlile.

    “I want a house with a crowded table and a place by the fire for everyone.”

    Over the Rainbow
    by Eva Cassidy

    Songwriters: Harold Arlen, E.y. Harburg

    “Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue…

    and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true.”

    A Million Dreams
    by Pink

    Songwriters: Benj Pasek, Justin Paul

    “I think of what the world could be - a vision of the one I see

    A million dreams is all it's gonna take…a million dreams for the world we're gonna make.”

    Beautiful City
    by Hunter Parrish

    Songwriter: Stephen Schwartz

    “Out of our night of struggle can we see a ray of hope - one pale thin ray reaching for the day...”

    The Impossible Dream
    by Luther Vandross

    Songwriters: Mitch Leigh, Joseph Darion

    “And the world will be better for this

    That one man, scorned and covered with scars

    Still strove with his last ounce of courage

    To reach the unreachable star”

  • If I Can Help Somebody

    Songwriter: Alma Bazel Androzzo

    “If I can help somebody, as I'm singing the song, you know my living shall not be in vain”

    Pure Imagination

    Songwriters: Leslie Bricusse, Anthony Newley

    “There is no life I know to compare with pure imagination

    Living there, you'll be free, if you truly wish to be”

    Amazing Grace

    Songwriters: John Newton, Traditional

    “'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears relieved

    How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed”

    Sunday

    Songwriter: Stephen Sondheim

    “As we pass through arrangements of shadow

    Toward the verticals of trees,

    Forever…In our perfect park”

  • Open in Spotify

    Closer To Fine
    by Brandi Carlile & Catherine Carlile

    Songwriters: Emily Ann Saliers, Amy Elizabeth Ray

    “There’s more than one answer to these questions, pointing me in a crooked line.

    And the less I seek my source for some definitive, the closer I am to fine’

    Higher Love
    by Whitney Houston

    Songwriters: Steve Winwood, Will Jennings

    “There must be a higher love - down in the heart or hidden in the stars above.”

    This Is Me
    by Keala Settle

    Songwriters: Benj Pasek, Justin Paul

    “I know that there's a place for us - for we are glorious”

    If We Only Have Love
    by Dionne Warwick

    Songwriter: Jacques Brel

    “If we only have love, then tomorrow will dawn, and the days of our years will rise on that morn.”

    Corner of the Sky
    by Matthew James Thomas

    Songwriter: Stephen Schwartz

    “Rivers belong where they can ramble

    Eagles belong where they can fly

    I've got to be where my spirit can run free

    Got to find my corner of the sky”

    We Found Love
    by 2CELLOS

    Songwriter: Calvin Harris

    Upside Down
    by Diana Ross

    Songwriters: Bernard Edwards, Nile Rodgers

    “Upside down

    Boy, you turn me inside out

    And, 'round and 'round”

Garments