Jeffrey Lucas Gurmendi Marshall
Jeffrey, beloved son, brother, grandson, nephew, cousin and friend. If you are one of Jeffrey’s many great friends, you probably knew him as Jeff. If you are family, you probably knew him as Junior. Regardless of how you knew Jeffrey, if you knew him well, you remember a person of surpassing humor, uninhibited joy and inspired kindness when it mattered.
We lost Jeffrey suddenly and unexpectedly to suicide in August of 2024. As his family, we are still reeling from that loss, and probably will be for the remainder of our lives.
We started this foundation to honor Jeffrey’s memory, help people to experience the kindness and joy Jeffrey embodied when he was with us, and foster mental well-being in youth and families.
Of course, there are an endless number of Jeffrey stories we could tell to help you understand who Jeffrey was and how he held a special place in the lives of the people who knew him. To hear some of the best of those stories, in the words of Jeffrey’s friends, please watch the videos below from Jeffrey’s two Celebrations of Life.
Tulane Celebration of Life
Jeffrey attended Tulane University in New Orleans for his freshman year, and died the summer before he was due to return. On September 21, 2024 his wonderful Tulane friends organized and presented a Celebration of Life hosted by the University.
As a family, we feel deeply grateful for the sincere and meaningful friendships Jeffrey enjoyed at Tulane, for the courage, hard work and creativity his friends invested in crafting this wonderful ceremony, and for the ongoing support and friendship those friends and their families have provided us, unwavering, in our grief.
Each time we watch this video we are struck by how well it captures Jeffrey’s spirit—we hope it does the same for you.
Oakland Celebration of Life
On December 23, 2024, our family, local Oakland community, and friends from far and wide gathered at Head-Royce School in Oakland for Jeffrey’s second Celebration of Life.
Our hope was that this ceremony would be one of sharing—sharing of Jeffrey stories, sharing of sorrow, sharing of grief. So, we invited anyone in the audience to come forward to speak.
We were moved by so many of you who came to this Celebration of Life, and we are especially grateful for the memories, stories and feelings that you shared with us and everyone in attendance.
As with the Tulane video, we find ourselves feeling so grateful for how well all of you captured the spirit Jeffrey embodied in his life.
Thank You, Tulane, Head-Royce and Our Community
As a family, we want to thank Tulane University and Head-Royce School for generously and graciously hosting these two Celebrations of Life.
And we want to say thank you again to all of you who attended these events and those of you who shared your feelings, stories, and love for our son Jeffrey.
With Deepest Gratitude,