Last Thursday, Interim President Lisa Lynch sent an email to the University community informing students, faculty and staff of the sudden passing of Matthew Sherman ’16 the previous day. He was 22.

The email, cosigned by Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel, informed students of an informal ceremony commemorating Sherman, which was held that afternoon at the International Lounge in the Usdan Student Center.

Students gathered and shared memories of Sherman and reflections on his passing. Rabbi Elyse Winick led the ceremony and read poetry. The Psychological Counseling Center also offered drop-in counseling and care to students that afternoon.

Sherman, a Bedford NH native, is survived by his parents Richard and Dorothy Sherman. His obituary in the New Hampshire Union Leader read that “Matt was a true and loyal friend to all those he cared about, always putting others before himself. He cherished time spent with friends and looked forward to their traditions of camping, hiking and bonfires. Matt enjoyed time with family, whether it was fishing and boating on Cape Cod, binge watching a new TV series he’d discovered, or sampling his brother’s baking.”

A funeral service was held yesterday in the chapel at Phaneuf Funeral Homes and Crematorium in Manchester, NH. A burial will take place in the spring at Bedford Center Cemetery in New Hampshire. The obituary in the Union Leader states that rather than donating flowers, donations in Sherman’s memory may be made to the Farnum Center, an alcohol and drug rehabilitation center, in Farnum, NH.

—Max Moran