On the 50-yard line of Raider Stadium, candles illuminated the faces of students, faculty, and community members who gathered Saturday evening to remember Alex Howell who died January 30th while swimming off the Oregon coast.
Howell, who was preparing to leave for Army officer training, was remembered by his fellow ROTC cadets as a fun, loving, joyful, and selfless person. “He’d always brighten up a room, just by walking in,” recalled cadet Anthony Hess.
Other friends recalled how Howell was always there to support them and consistently did the right thing. “I could always count on him” said Alex Smith.
Trinity Castner spoke about about Howell’s deep integrity, “Even if no one was watching him, he’d always do the right thing.”
Howell’s family who travelled to Ashland to attend the vigil expressed their gratitude.
“I thank you everyone of you for being in his life and for being so amazing to him.”
Erika Howell, Alex’s sister, has created a GoFundMe page to help cover the funeral costs.
https://www.gofundme.com/n3mr9yf8
