• Counted the final performance as a win.

By Jan Moody, SVI Media

“The Vocalist”, a favorite of Lincoln County Fair Goers, held its final competition, The Ultimate Vocalist, at the 2024 fair in Star Valley, Wyoming on August 7.

Among the Competitors was Cokeville’s EJ Pauni. Pauni; a husband, father of four, rancher and football coach won the Vocalist in 2018.

This year’s competition brought back all eight previous winners for the Ultimate Vocalist.

Winning the final event would have been an incredible achievement for Pauni but something else was on his mind that evening. Pauni’s mother, Cindy Crawley, who is dying of cancer, was there to hear her son perform.

His final number for the evening was What are Words, a song about being there for the ones you love when they need you most.

While Pauni sang, a slide show filled the screen behind him with pictures of him with his mom throughout his life.

She was originally diagnosed with cancer in September 2023 and was told she had weeks, maybe months to live. She was told she could go on hospice or fight.

She chose to fight!

The chemo took its toll and treatments were stopped a couple times due to infection. In February of this year she was forced to stop treatments due to the fact that the chemo was killing her faster than the disease.

Doctors tried a different chemo hoping to maintain the progress of the first chemo. Unfortunately it didn’t work and two new growths were discovered.

Yet another chemo was tried that had more severe side affects than the first two and was not making a difference.

Cindy was told in August that her cancer had stopped responding to treatments and that she had 2-4 months to live. She has made it nearly a month since that timeline was given.

She has fought a great fight and has made it a year when she was originally told she had weeks, maybe months to live. Her doctor says it is “remarkable” that she’s made it this far.

Pauni didn’t win the Ultimate Vocalist  but counted that final performance as a win. When asked about the experience he stated, “I’m just so glad I got to sing for my mom, one more time!” She will forever be one of his biggest fans!