By Sam Arseneau
(Photo credits: Sam Arseneau)
On February 28th, UPEI held a memorial service to honour the life of Khaled Rezaei, a student who passed away in January.
The memorial service was held in McMillan Hall and was open to all guests. The hall was quickly filled with limited space remaining.
Rezaei tragically passed away on January 20th, 2020 while in Kuwait. The memorial service took place a month after his death so that his family members had time to hold services at home in Kuwait before travelling to PEI to be with mourners on campus.
The ninety minute program began with a welcome lead by Sister Sue.
Members of Rezaei’s family were in attendance, including his Farahnaz Rezaei, his aunt, who spoke about her nephew’s life.
The service had prayers from different faiths but they all shared the same message of being supported through grief. Some of the prayers were accompanied by music, including two prayers sung and played on guitar by Khaled’s sister Maram.
Sister Sue spoke about Rezaei’s contributions to the UPEI campus and his dedication to helping other students. Sister Sue brought along a photo and a plaque that will be displayed in the Campus Life Lounge, one of the places Rezaei worked with students, to honour his memory.
Friends and colleagues of Rezaei prepared a video in his memory. It showcased photos of Rezaei at various ages.
During the video two of Rezaei’s friends read letters to the audience that they had written to Rezaei after his passing.
The final speaker of the evening was Rezaei’s mother, Bushra Jaberi.
The audience was silent as Jaberi presented the eulogy she wrote for her son. It was a deeply emotional time for many.
The service ended with one final prayer from Sister Sue.
After the service ended, many people in attendance lined up to give their condolences to Rezaei’s mother, father, and sister.
It’s clear that Rezaei left a lasting impact and will be forever remembered in the hearts of many.
Khaled, you will be missed.