Slideshows from Kevin's Service

I apologize for the poor video quality of the first slideshow; I needed to make some sacrifices in quality in order to fit a video that long on the blog. I hope some of the pictures bring a smile to your face in a fond memory of Kevin.

Song List

In response to Dr. Averill's question below about the songs played at Kevin's memorial, I've written out a list of the songs we included in the slideshows. I am currently learning the ins and outs of video files in hopes that I can upload to the blog both the long slideshow (which played before Kevin's memorial, while people were entering Twin Lakes) and the shorter slideshow (which played during the service). I hope to have those up within the next couple of days, so check back here soon if you're interested in seeing them.

Marc Cohn - Walk Through the World
Bob Dylan - The Man in Me
Old Crow Medicine Show - Wagon Wheel
Jackson Browne - For a Dancer
Boston - Peace of Mind
Sheryl Crow - Diamond Road
Sarah McLachlan - I Will Remember You
Michael Jackson - Will You Be There

Also, the songs that were played throughout the service and afterwards:

Alison Krauss and Gillian Welch - I'll Fly Away (from O Brother Where Art Thou)
Billy Joe Shaver - Live Forever
Tom Petty - I Won't Back Down
Rusted Root - Send Me on My Way

Yesterday's Service and Tomorrow's Potluck

Thanks to the many, many people who came to Kevin's memorial service on Thursday evening. We were so happy you could help us remember Kevin's very full and active life. For an informal potluck and a casual gathering where we can tell stories about Kevin and take part in some of his favorite activities, please join us tomorrow, Saturday, at Seacliff Beach (for details on location and parking, see the "Saturday at Seacliff" post below). Thank you to all for your hugs, cards, flowers, donations to Colgate's Kevin Williams Memorial Fund, and most of all, your love and support.

Santa Cruz Sentinel

Yesterday, a reporter from the Santa Cruz Sentinel visited us. She wrote an article about Kevin for today’s paper. You can access the article here.

Also, you can read Kevin's remembrance in the Sentinel here.

Saturday at Seacliff

Instead of a formal reception after Thursday’s memorial service, we’ve decided to have a celebration of Kevin’s life that better fits his lifestyle. Please join us for a beach potluck on Saturday, October 16th at Seacliff State Beach in Aptos. The celebration will start at 11 a.m. It seems right to remember and honor Kevin while wearing flip flops, playing volleyball and jumping in the ocean. This will be a time to share stories about Kevin while enjoying one of his favorite beaches.

Over the past few days, we have been sorting through pictures of Kevin. Tears have come to our eyes, but more often, we have smiled as we happen upon a forgotten memory or a photo that captures Kevin’s pure joy. He lived a full life, packed to the brim with activities and people he loved. His smile has been shining at us from these photos, and we can only answer it with our own. We’d like to follow Kevin’s example of a life lived with joy, love and passion; so, a beach party is in order.

Please bring a dish and a story to share. We will have at least one grill, so foods that need to be barbecued are welcome. There will be a beach volleyball net and boogie boards so we can participate in a couple of Kevin’s favorite sports. Bring your bathing suit and any other beach toys you enjoy.

There are groups of picnic tables south of the cement ship at Seacliff State Beach. If you are walking or driving from the cement ship, head south (left) on the road along the beach. You will start to pass picnic tables with awnings on your right. Keep going past the building with the bathrooms and showers. Up ahead you’ll see a large tree by a couple groups of picnic tables; we will try to get the picnic tables by that tree. Look for the picnic tables with crimson tablecloths (Kevin’s favorite color). Directions and parking information for Seacliff Beach are at the bottom of this post.

Thank you to everyone who has supported us through the last year. We have especially appreciated your love this week. We hope to see you Thursday (5:30 p.m.) at Twin Lakes and Saturday (11 a.m.) at Seacliff Beach.



Directions to Seacliff State Beach:
From Hwy 1, take the State Park Drive exit and head west on State Park Dr. Keep straight on State Park Dr. until you get to the State Park kiosk. After paying the state park fee (around $8), continue down the hill. At the bottom of the hill, turn left at the split. Drive past the pier to the cement ship, continue past the bathrooms and showers, and look for us at picnic tables near the pine tree on your right. If there is no parking by the picnic tables, you will need to head back up the hill and park in the lot on top of the cliffs. That lot is still considered inside the state park, so you still need to pay for parking here. Stairs to access the beach are at the south corner of this parking lot. Take valuables with you; don’t leave them in your car.

Directions to Rio Del Mar (where you can park for free and walk into Seacliff):
From Hwy 1, take the Rio Del Mar exit. Head west on Rio Del Mar Blvd. Follow Rio Del Mar Blvd for about a mile and a half; it will wind through neighborhoods and head down a steep hill. From this hill, you will see Seacliff’s cement ship straight ahead of you. At the bottom of the hill, navigate through the traffic circle. You can try to look for parking in the lot straight ahead of you, but that lot is often full. The best bet for parking is to make a 90 degree right turn onto Aptos Beach Dr. After a couple blocks, parallel park along this road, or turn down one of the side streets to parallel park in the neighborhood. Again, it’s probably best to keep valuables with you or hide them well in your car.

To walk to Seacliff Beach, walk back to the bizarre traffic circle at the intersection of Aptos Beach Dr. and Rio Del Mar Blvd. Cross the streets over to the beach. When you hit the sidewalk next to the sand, turn right. Follow the sidewalk along the bridge over the creek. Keep following the sidewalk, and we should be at the second cluster of picnic tables.

Kevin's Remembrance

The following is the remembrance that will run in the Santa Cruz County papers this weekend:


Kevin Bradley Williams, aged 22, passed away at sunset on October 4, 2010. He died peacefully in the loving embraces of his fiancée, Kathlin Ramsdell, his mother Carolyn, his father Rich and his sister Stacy. Kevin’s close friend Tyler Domsic, who flew in from Sweden that afternoon, was also by Kevin’s side. Kevin bravely fought an inoperable brain tumor for the last year of his life, demonstrating courage and strength in trying to beat the unbeatable.

Kevin grew up in Aptos attending Valencia Elementary, Aptos Jr. High and Aptos High. He was captain of both the Aptos High water polo and volleyball teams. Kevin graduated fourth in Aptos High’s Class of 2006. Kevin was a long time Cabrillo Thresher, played Bear Club volleyball and enjoyed disc golf. He “loved the tube,” so he frequently kneeboarded at the Hook and Manresa. Kevin shredded, jumped off cornices and submerged himself in powder most winter weekends at Kirkwood. During his high school summers, Kevin was employed by Radiology Medical Group of Santa Cruz County.

Kevin considered upstate New York his second home. Kevin and his beloved Kathlin were on track to graduate with honors from Colgate University’s class of 2010. There, Kevin was captain of the water polo team, raced on the ski team, double majored in Geography and Geology, was in the Geography honor society and made the dean’s list every semester. Kevin and Kathlin’s love for earth science and the outdoors led them to spend a semester at Canterbury University in Christchurch, New Zealand. Kevin and Kathlin traveled in a campervan while they saw as much as they could of the North and South Islands’ geologic and geographic diversity. As a Fellow at the Upstate Institute for two summers, Kevin used his geography training to work on land use issues in Cazenovia, NY.

Kevin understood the preciousness of life. During his 22 years, Kevin experienced more joy, laughter and love than many experience in a long lifetime.

A celebration of Kevin’s life will be held at Twin Lakes Church in Aptos on Thursday, October 14, at 5:30 p.m. In lieu of flowers, contributions towards a permanent memorial in the Geography/Geology Departments can be made to the Kevin Williams Memorial Fund at Colgate University. Make checks payable to Colgate University, and specify “Kevin Williams Memorial Fund” on the memo line. Send donations to Colgate University, Gift Records, 13 Oak Drive, Hamilton, NY 13346.

Call for Reflections

You all have many fond memories of Kevin and reflections about his life, and we would love for you to share them at Kevin’s service on Thursday, October 14th. We regret that we can’t have everyone speak, but if you have something in particular you would like to share (up to 3 minutes), please email your name and some thoughts about what you’d like to say to KevinWilliamsBlog@gmail.com

Thanks in advance, and we look forward to hearing your reflections and stories.

Kevin's Service

Kevin’s memorial service will be held Thursday, October 14th at 5:30 p.m. at Twin Lakes Church in Aptos, CA. The invitation is open to everyone who has been touched by Kevin’s short life.

The address for Twin Lakes Church:
2701 Cabrillo College Dr., Aptos, CA
Directions to Twin Lakes are available here. For those of you coming from the Bay Area, see the last paragraph for extra tips about avoiding rush-hour traffic.

We are also hoping to have an informal outdoors celebration of Kevin’s life Saturday, October 16th or Sunday, October 17th. We will keep you informed when we know more. There will also be memorials of some shape at Kirkwood and Colgate at a later date.

Kathlin, Mom, Dad and I sincerely thank the many communities in which Kevin was involved for your outpouring of support. It would be impossible for us to face Kevin’s passing without your love. Thank you for sharing how Kevin has touched your lives. Your many memories of him divert our attention from the fact that he was taken from us much too soon; instead, your stories help us focus on the wonderful, loving and joyous person he was. Your memories will help this positive image of him to live forever in our hearts and minds. We would love for you to join us on Thursday, October 14th.

If you are coming from the Bay Area, we have a tip for avoiding traffic. At rush hour, Highway 17 can get very backed up coming into Santa Cruz, so we suggest that you build extra time into your schedule. We also have a recommendation for a “side road” that you can take in order to avoid the last half of Hwy 17. After you pass the town of Los Gatos, drive 7 more miles on Hwy 17. Exit to your right onto Summit Road. The exit ramp will loop you around; turn right onto Summit Road in order to go over the freeway. Drive along Summit Road for 4 miles, then turn right onto Soquel San Jose Road (I believe there are signs for Santa Cruz or Soquel). Follow Soquel San Jose Road (or Old San Jose Road) for 11 miles. Then, turn left onto Soquel Drive. Follow Soquel Dr. for just over a mile, then turn right onto Park Ave. After .2 miles, turn left at Cabrillo College Drive. After .7 miles, Twin Lakes Church will be on your left.

Rest in Peace

Kevin passed away this evening at sunset. We kept him comfortable throughout the day. He had increasing difficulty breathing, but we gave him enough medication to keep him comfortable. His passing was calm and peaceful. He did not appear to be in any pain and was not agitated. We realized his time was limited about 30 minutes before he died, so we all got a chance to say goodbye.

Tyler, one of Kevin’s friends from childhood, flew in from Sweden this afternoon. Tyler made it to our house this afternoon and sat at the foot of Kevin’s bed for the last few hours of Kevin’s life.

Kathlin, Mom, Dad, Tyler and I surrounded Kevin when he passed away.

Kevin lived much longer than any doctors predicted back in January. There were people back then who wrote Kevin off, and he made it to October. Kevin worked very hard and struggled a lot during that time, but he also had several small and sacred victories. There were also some fun and joyous moments we got to share as a family that would have never materialized if he had passed in January. While we’re devastated to lose Kevin now, we have been blessed with ten months with Kevin that many people expected we wouldn’t have.

We send countless thanks to the thousands of you for your love throughout Kevin’s illness. We will keep you informed about services.

Difficulty Breathing

I thought I should post a very short update to keep you all in the loop. Kevin hasn’t improved since my last post; the symptoms of extremely decreased movement and inability to talk or eat are still present. Furthermore, he is having a hard time with breathing. He has always had difficulty swallowing because the tumor is in an area of his brain stem that controls that function. Therefore, it’s tough for him to clear his throat or swallow. Kevin is now also losing some control of his diaphragm, which makes it even harder for him to breathe deeply or cough. He is still on oxygen, and we have a suction machine from Hospice that helps him clear his throat. Despite these problems with breathing, we’ve been trying to keep him as comfortable as possible. All things considered, he’s been sleeping relatively well. He still doesn’t allow Kathlin away from his side for very long; she’s the best source of comfort he can get.

I’m sorry to bring more bad news (or at least no good news). Please continue to keep Kevin in your thoughts and prayers.