Saturday was a sad day for many AU students who gathered in Kay Spiritual Life Center for a memorial service for junior Andrew Burr, killed Jan. 18 in an automobile accident.
As students and family members filed in, songs by Burr's favorite bands played in the background.
Burr's family chose to have a Quaker-style service, where anyone in atten-dance could come to the front to talk about him.
Burr's friend Rohan Chadha began the service.
"We shared a very special bond that I'm sure he shared with every person in this room," he said, describing Burr as the type of person who was a good friend to everybody he knew. "He lived life to the fullest and gave a piece of that to everybody. At every punk show, he will be there. I love you, Andy."
Christopher Burr, Andrew's father, was the first family member to talk.
"He may look like a pretty tough, punky guy, but he was gentle," he said.
Burr's father said he has learned a lot about his son in the week after Andrew's death, "and everything I learned made me prouder of him," he said. "Andy was a rebel with a cause and his cause isn't dead. The things Andy believed in are still worth fighting for."
Norma Burr, his mother, remembered him as being unique, even as a child.
She described Burr's various phases while growing up, including a Michael Jackson phase complete with a suit and white glove.
"I'm pleased to tell you that phase didn't last very long," she said.
Becca Lane, Burr's girlfriend of over three years, spoke through her tears.
"You opened my eyes to a life that only seemed like a fairy tale," she said. "You changed me into the woman that I've always wanted to become."
The four AU students who were in the car accident with Burr all shared their memories of him.
"When I met him, I knew we would get along because we were the same height and he smoked more than I did," said Aram Richard, the director of the Student Union Board. "I think there's an average of five minutes between the time you met Andy and the time you started loving him."
Richard was also in Burr's band, as was Ryan Wisnor, who told how Andy, the band's singer, never knew when to begin his parts. It was Wisnor's job to kick him to let him know when to sing.
Earlier in the service, Peter Webb described the band's songs as "Andy's songs."
"He put the life into the songs," Webb said.
Kyle Bastanchury, still recovering from the accident, walked to the front of the room with a cane to speak about Burr.
"Always, I'll have a truly great friend and brother," he said. "He was so absolute in what he believed in and so pure. He would have loved that in Kay Spiritual Life Center, there was punk rock music."
"He just lit a fire in your soul and made you want to live and enjoy things," said Aleda Plett.
At the end of the service, Plett turned up the music once again: "Bro Hymn," a song by Pennywise. As she returned to her seat she embraced Lane, and as the line "this one's for you" played, they raised their fists and pointed to the sky, to Andy.
