October 20, 2020
One year after losing our son Owen, we are still wrecked and ravaged by waves of unpredictable grief. We know that we are lucky to have the support of friends, family, and community, but it is still incredibly difficult to move through our days without his joyful energy in the middle of all of our family togetherness. Losing Owen has made us aware of how very isolating grief is – and that there are so many people who do not have the same supportive network of friends and community.
We are grateful to the University of Portland for creating an opportunity to celebrate the life Owen lived and his beautiful spirit. We are grateful to the many people who helped us search for Owen last October and to those who have kept our family in their thoughts and prayers this whole year. We are awed by people who have shared with us that knowing Owen – or learning about him after his death – has somehow enriched their lives. Please continue to reach out to us or to anyone that you know who is grieving. All of these connections are important and so desperately needed by many right now.
We are still searching for a better understanding of what happened to Owen last fall. We have never been able to find his phone, his string backpack, his monogrammed YETI water bottle, or his audiotek headphones. The police and Medical Examiner reports did not answer enough of our questions. We would love to hear from anyone who can shed any light on what might have happened when Owen left campus.
Owen was a hard worker who whistled while he worked and always saw any job through to careful completion. He would sweep up every last blade of grass and put his tools away with care. To honor Owen’s kind and helpful spirit, we have launched the More Owen 2020 Acts of Kindness campaign. We invite you to do something helpful or kind for someone else (or just do one of your own chores with a more Owen-like attitude) and share with us at moreowen2020@gmail.com or using the hashtag #moreowen.
Thank you very much.
Mary and Dustin Klinger
University of Portland
5000 N. Willamette Blvd.,
Portland, Oregon 97203-5798
503.943.8000
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