Wenjie (Jay) Deng, ’26, and Samara Everman, ‘23, recently died in separate car crashes. An email from Beth Dolan, dean of the College of Health, was first sent to members of that college on July 18 regarding Everman’s death, but a campus-wide email from Ric Hall on July 20 addressed both deaths.
Recipients of the first email were asked to send memories of Everman to Nora Connelly, marketing and communications director for the college, and requested that donations be made to the Samara Everman Memorial ‘23 Memorial Fund for Lehigh programs that supported Everman and her peers.
Hall wrote a memorial service for Everman will be held July 23 at 2 p.m. at the Princeton United Methodist Church, and it will also be live-streamed. Dolan wrote “we will find a way to further honor Samara and to grieve together” during the fall 2023 semester.
Hall wrote the campus community will be updated with other memorial services that would occur on campus for both students.
Support resources such as University Counseling and Psychological Serrvices, My SSP and the Chaplain’s Office are available.
“We mourn the tragic loss of two bright students and our hearts are heavy as we remember the lives that were taken too soon,” Hall wrote. “Jay and Samara’s impact was deeply felt, and their presence will be deeply missed by our Lehigh University community.”
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Samara Everman, Our Dear Niece-cousin, So gracious and lovely. We had just seen her at a family Graduation party. Bright and Radiant, we shared a hug. As a little lady, Samara and her Cousins would visit out house, and on this one visit, she handed me a note, which she had written I Love You. I was floored. I still have it and will keep it for as long as we live. Like her family, and friends, we are stunned to have received the news of the tragic auto accident. We hope for the rapid recovery of Samara’s friends, who were injured in the crash. God be with us all. Amen