A man killed Sunday along with his 3-year-old son by a suspected drunken driver was a music teacher at a Boise, Idaho. dance studio and made his own Native American flutes.
“Jon Jon” Stravers, who was the musical director of the Children’s Dance Institute, and his son, Jonah, were killed Sunday when a pickup crashed head-on into Stravers’ car, officials said.
“Such a big light in the world shouldn’t be snuffed so soon,” said Erin Frazier of Lafayette. The Stravers stayed at Frazier’s home on his way to visit his father in Iowa, she said.
Authorities believe that Bryant C. Hays, 26, of Sussex, Wis., was impaired with drugs or alcohol when he drove into the wrong lane of traffic and slammed his blue 2002 Chevrolet Silverado into Stravers’ Dodge Stratus at about 5 p.m. Sunday on Colorado 34 near Akron. Hays also was killed.
Stravers, who has done extensive research on hawks, was taking the country road so he could drive through grass land preserves.
He and his father, Jon “Hawk” Stravers, who founded the Midwest Raptor Research Fund, planned on taking boat trips on the Mississippi during his vacation, Frazier said.
According to his dance studio website, Jon Jon Stravers composed music for the studio performances. He played mandolin, guitar, piano and drums. He made many of the instruments himself.
Jon Jon Stravers also taught music to children at home. “He touched a lot of children’s lives,” Frazier said.
Staff writer Kirk Mitchell can be reached at 303-954-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com.
