Parents of fallen soldier thank SIUE
Letter to the editor
Issue date: 3/20/07 Section: Editorial
Dear Friends,
My family would like to express its deepest thanks to the SIUE community for all its support following the death of our son, Spc. Ryan Garbs.
Many of you helped with the funeral service in ways that we will never know about. The amazing part is that most of you who helped did not know our son or us.
We want to thank Chancellor Vandegrift for allowing us to have Ryan's funeral in the Meridian Ballroom. It became apparent to us during the early planning stages that there was no church in Edwardsville large enough to contain the expected crowd. Our only other option would have been churches in other nearby communities, but our hearts are in Edwardsville.
We know the SIUE Police Department, Facilities Management and many employees of the Morris University Center provided their services. We know that Denise DeGarmo encouraged her students to honor Ryan by standing outside the MUC before and after the funeral, but many more students paid their respects as well. In fact, some students dropped by the library with sympathy cards for us. We also know that someone even painted the Rock in the Stratton Quadrangle with Ryan's name. The response of the students has been the most touching of all. Some knew Ryan, but most did not.
To my colleagues in Lovejoy Library and especially in the Technical and Access Services Department, thank you for the many expressions of sympathy you have shown us.
Lastly, but perhaps most importantly, we want to thank the Music Department for providing the one thing that gives the most solace to my aching heart. John Korak, Katrina Bradley and John Goss contributed some of the music that made Ryan's funeral beautiful, if such a thing can be beautiful.
Our sincerest apologies to those we have inadvertently not mentioned. I do want you all to know that the Army and especially the Army Rangers have been unbelievably kind to us. They truly share our grief. I'm proud that Ryan was a Ranger, proud to live in this great country and proud to be a member of the SIUE community. God bless you all.
Douglas and Jill Garbs
My family would like to express its deepest thanks to the SIUE community for all its support following the death of our son, Spc. Ryan Garbs.
Many of you helped with the funeral service in ways that we will never know about. The amazing part is that most of you who helped did not know our son or us.
We want to thank Chancellor Vandegrift for allowing us to have Ryan's funeral in the Meridian Ballroom. It became apparent to us during the early planning stages that there was no church in Edwardsville large enough to contain the expected crowd. Our only other option would have been churches in other nearby communities, but our hearts are in Edwardsville.
We know the SIUE Police Department, Facilities Management and many employees of the Morris University Center provided their services. We know that Denise DeGarmo encouraged her students to honor Ryan by standing outside the MUC before and after the funeral, but many more students paid their respects as well. In fact, some students dropped by the library with sympathy cards for us. We also know that someone even painted the Rock in the Stratton Quadrangle with Ryan's name. The response of the students has been the most touching of all. Some knew Ryan, but most did not.
To my colleagues in Lovejoy Library and especially in the Technical and Access Services Department, thank you for the many expressions of sympathy you have shown us.
Lastly, but perhaps most importantly, we want to thank the Music Department for providing the one thing that gives the most solace to my aching heart. John Korak, Katrina Bradley and John Goss contributed some of the music that made Ryan's funeral beautiful, if such a thing can be beautiful.
Our sincerest apologies to those we have inadvertently not mentioned. I do want you all to know that the Army and especially the Army Rangers have been unbelievably kind to us. They truly share our grief. I'm proud that Ryan was a Ranger, proud to live in this great country and proud to be a member of the SIUE community. God bless you all.
Douglas and Jill Garbs
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