UPDATE: Information about Ian Smith-Christmas' memorial services
To the W&M Community,
Plans have now been finalized for memorial services for Ian Smith-Christmas -- I know many of you have been awaiting these details so that you can join with others in remembering him.
CAMPUS MEMORIAL SERVICE
A campus memorial service will be held tomorrow, Thursday, April 29, 2010 at 12:00 Noon in the Wren Chapel. Please join Ian's friends and others from the William and Mary community as we gather to celebrate his life with us.
SERVICE PLANNED BY THE SMITH-CHRISTMAS FAMILY
Ian's family has also extended an invitation to attend the public memorial service they are planning for Ian this Saturday, May 1, 2010 at 1 p.m. That service will be held in Northern Virginia at Locust Shade Park, 4701 Locust Shade Drive in Triangle, VA with a reception to follow at a local firehouse. If you would like to attend that service but need transportation, please contact Brent Owens, Chair of the Geology Department at beowen@wm.edu. Written expressions of sympathy may be sent to Ian's family c/o his parents Kenneth and Linda Smith-Christmas, 13 Tarleton Way, Stafford, VA, 22554-5115.
Our thoughts continue to be with Ian's family and friends at this difficult time.
Sincerely,
Ginger Ambler
Below is the message that Ambler sent to the campus community on April 27, 2010 - Ed.
Dear William and Mary Community,
The worst of fears was confirmed late last night as the family of Ian Kramer Smith-Christmas and the College were notified that Ian's body had been found in his car by Virginia Beach Police, his death the result of an apparent suicide.
A junior from Stafford, Virginia, Ian graduated from Brooke Point High School in 2007. He was a Geology major at William and Mary who was a member of both Alpha Lambda Delta and Phi Eta Sigma honor societies. Ian loved loved exploration and adventure and was an active member of the College's Outdoor Club. Among the activities he enjoyed were hiking, boating, diving, and spelunking. An avid world traveler, Ian had a special affinity for Russia, a country he visited on several occasions.
The Counseling Center will also be open throughout the day and until 7 p.m. this evening to anyone who would find talking to a counselor helpful -- the Center is located on the second floor of Blow Hall, 221-3620. As always, counselors are on call on a 24-hour basis and can be reached after hours through the W&M Police at 221-4596. Additionally, the Residence Life staff, Dean of Students Office, campus ministers, and my office are available on a priority basis for those who need us.
In the coming days, I will share information about Ian's funeral and/or memorial service. Until then, it is important for us all to be sensitive to one another, knowing that Ian's death is a tragic loss to our whole community. To his family, his friends and loved ones, his faculty and all those who are grieving, we extend our support and deepest sympathy.
Sincerely,
Ginger Ambler
