A memorial service was held to honor the life of Mary Jagoda '05 on Wed., who was killed on Oct. 12 while kayaking on Cape Cod.Brandeis students, faculty, administrators and members of Mary's family gathered together in the Shapiro Campus Center Theatre as Father David Michael offered the opening reflection.

"We stand with you in your loss of your beloved Mary," he said to Mary's parents. "Our thoughts and prayers will honor the memory of Mary. We hope our prayers today will give you strength."

Dean of Student Life Rick Sawyer spoke next, addressing the tremendous strength Mary's parents Anna and Louis have shown to the Brandeis community.

"This is a strong, resilient and passionate group," Sawyer said. "This loss is overwhelming, but it has been comforted by the strength of Anna and Louis ... These are two extraordinary people."

Sawyer recalled how, after hearing the news of Mary's death, Anna cared more about Mary's friends than her own grief.

"Brandeis will always be a special place for you ... You are an inspiration for us...We are here for you and it's nice to know you are here for us," Sawyer said.

Prof. Jerry Cohen (AMST) spoke of Mary's funeral during the memorial, which he attended in her hometown of Huntington, N.Y. He described the ceremony as a "celebration in calm confidence that there is a realm larger than our lives."

Cohen spoke of Mary as a student of great ability and a friend of great tenderness.

Following Cohen, Prof. Jane Hale (ROCL), Mary's University Seminar (USEM) professor presented Anna and Louis with a book containing letters from Mary's USEM classmates. As Hale read the letters out loud, many of Mary's classmates' eyes filled with tears.

Many classmates remembered the loss of Mary's brother Jake on Sept. 11 in the attack on the World Trade Center. They spoke of her resilience and strength in dealing with this great tragedy.

After a period of spontaneous remembrance in which members of the audience were invited to share their memories of Mary, Anna concluded the ceremony speaking about her daughter. "Mary had great courage. She didn't look tough, but she was. 'I won't back down,' was her mantra," Anna said.

Anna also recalled Mary's difficult beginning at Brandeis after dealing with the death of her brother. "She started school with trepidation, but we were very pleased that she chose Brandeis. So she comes here her freshman year and all of a sudden the World Trade Center occurs. But after two weeks, she came back. It wasn't easy...Thanks to the community who gave her great support and understanding."

Anna thanked the Brandeis community for the support they gave to Mary throughout her years here. "Death has no dominion. When you have such great love and great courage, death has no dominion," she said.

After the ceremony, Mary's friends, professors and other members of the Brandeis community gave their condolences to the Jagoda's. Carrie Brown '05 and Sarah Simpson '05, suitemates and friends of Mary, presented Anna with a bear they had knitted after learning that Mary was missing. "We were going to gave it to Mary when she came back, but she didn't so instead we're giving it to her mom. We wanted it to be something she would've liked," said Simpson.

When asked what she thought of the ceremony, she said, " It's nice to see all these people, but it's never going to change the situation. There's always going to be something missing.