San Diego is mourning the loss of one its great residents, Joan B. Kroc. To some she was known as the heir to the McDonald’s fortune, to others she was the former owner of the San Diego Padres, but most recently she made her mark on San Diego as one of its greatest philanthropic treasures. This past Sunday, Kroc died at her home in Rancho Sante Fe. She was diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer just three months ago, but up until the very end she continued doing good in all of San Diego’s communities. One of her last gifts was to the Gay Men’s Chorus of San Diego.

“She bought us a brand new Bosendorfer half concert grand piano for $105,000 and donated it anonymously to us as a chorus,” Jason Green, the President of the San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus told the Gay and Lesbian Times this week. “She wanted it strictly anonymous, but after her passing her spokesperson said we could announce that she donated it to the chorus.”

Earlier this year it was reported in the Times that the Gay Men’s Chorus was scheduled to perform at The Salvation Army’s Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center in Rolando. However, the concert was cancelled because The Salvation Army, which manages the facility, felt that such a concert was not in keeping with their mission statement.

“I knew that Mrs. Kroc wasn’t responsible for that decision, so we drafted a letter to her that we weren’t responsible for that press release and we understand she did not make the decision, and to see if there was anything we could do to mend ties,” Green said.

Working to mend bridges and find a resolution proved to be beneficial for Green and the members of the chorus, who are now benefiting from the donation from Kroc, which is the organization’s largest single donation in its history. In addition, Kroc took steps to ensure that the Gay Men’s Chorus would be able to perform at the community center.

“Mrs. Kroc was sad to hear that we were denied the right to perform in the center and she said she was going to do what she could to make sure it was available to us,” Green added. “At our last show we sent out comp tickets to the Salvation Army so they could come see our show and see that we aren’t doing anything that goes against their mission. We’re just having fun and supporting the community in entertainment and the arts.”

The Gay Men’s Chorus had made plans to unveil their new piano at their concerts scheduled for Dec. 12 and 13 in La Jolla, which Kroc had planned to attend. The show will go on, and the Bosendorfer piano will be unveiled at the show, which will now be dedicated to Kroc as a final thanks from the Gay Men’s Chorus for her generous donation and efforts to bring them back to the community center.