A Celebration of Life: UVA Memorializes Lavel Davis Jr., Devin Chandler, and D'Sean Perry
An overabundance of grief, sorrow, pain, and heartache has gripped the University of Virginia community for the past several days following the sudden and tragic deaths of UVA students and football players Lavel Davis Jr., Devin Chandler, and D'Sean Perry in a senseless shooting on Sunday night. After a week of sadness and heartbreak, Saturday's memorial service had a quite a different goal: to celebrate the lives of these three incredible young men.
Though they were taken far too soon, Lavel Davis Jr., Devin Chandler, and D'Sean Perry still touched many lives, bringing joy and laughter to countless people who had the honor and the privilege to have known them. Thus, it was only fitting that, as the UVA community gathered at John Paul Jones Arena on Saturday evening to commemorate them, the tears that were shed and the pain that was inevitably felt in the hearts of all who attended the service were also joined by frequent moments of joy and laughter.
One by one, teammate after teammate of the fallen UVA football players approached the podium and shared their favorite memories and stories of life shared with Lavel, Devin and D'Sean. There were many touching moments throughout the ceremony, including heartfelt and thoughtful messages from Jim Ryan, Carla Williams, and Tony Elliott and musical performances from multiple singing groups as well as from Grammy-award winning Gospel singer CeCe Winans. But the most memorable part of the service was undoubtedly the speaking performances of the UVA football players who took the microphone.
For men who had suffered the sudden loss of teammates, best friends, and brothers, they spoke with a remarkable level of calm and poise, sharing their stories and expressing the impact these young men had on their lives with an impressive level of eloquence.
Lorenz Terry and Cody Brown spoke on Devin Chandler, while Chico Bennett, Jared Rayman, and Elijah Gaines gave testimony on Lavel Davis Jr. Donovan Johnson, Josh McCarron, Ben Smiley, Will Bettridge, Hunter Stewart, and Nick Jackson each shared their thoughts and stories of D'Sean Perry.
We can't even begin to imagine what this week has been like for these young men who suffered such immense and personal loss. Yet, they had the bravery and the strength to go on stage and speak with sincerity on what Lavel, Devin, and D'Sean meant to them. Their words made this memorial service a fitting tribute as a celebration of the impactful lives that these three extraordinary young men lived.
You can watch the entire memorial service in the video below, courtesy of Virginia Sports TV.
