Megan Nellor, a sophomore from Vancouver, Washington, passed away on campus on Dec. 11 from a pulmonary embolism.
Nellor was an aspiring art history major at LC. She religiously went to trivia nights with her friends. She participated in intramural soccer, where her team proudly won last place. She worked for the theatre department as a stage crew member, participating especially heavily in last fall’s production of “The Christians.”
Keagan Gilmartin ’22, who was close with Nellor, spoke fondly of her memories of with her, mentioning the macaroni tattoo Nellor got on her elbow the first week of classes, and remembering her special way of tying shoes.
“We were talking about the different ways there are to tie your shoes,” Gilmartin said. “Megan mentioned a way that I had never done before. It was very intricate. And she sat with me until I got it, probably for 45 minutes.”
Brynne Anderson ’22 described Nellor’s love for video essays, podcasts and documentaries.
“She was an avid consumer of media,” Anderson said.
Julia Neely ’22, a close friend of Nellor’s, spoke in her memory.
“She was very elegantly irreverent,” Neely said. “Irreverent in the sense that it was Megan’s world, and we were all just living in it, but not in an offensive way, not in a self-absorbed way. But she was so elegant about it.”
Ruth Makonnen ’22, another close friend of Nellor’s, wrote a post shortly after her passing for the Instagram account Humans of Lewis and Clark, detailing Nellor’s finest qualities. In an interview, she spoke about her friendship with Nellor.
“I always felt like being her friend was kind of a privilege,” Ruth Makonnen ’22 said. “She didn’t just like people. She wasn’t unfriendly or anything, but she was very particular about what she liked.”
Kurt Fosso, professor of English and Megan’s advisor, spoke on having her as a student.
“She had a certain kind of wry, very intelligent demeanor,” Fosso said. “I honestly think there’s something about her that I can’t put into words.”
Vice President of Student Life and Dean of Students Robin Holmes-Sullivan spoke on Nellor’s loss in a statement to The Pioneer Log.
“The sudden and tragic death of Megan Nellor on Dec. 11, 2019 was a terrible loss for our community,” Holmes-Sullivan said via email. “My heart goes out to Megan’s family, and to all those here at Lewis & Clark who were close to Megan. She was an energetic and vivacious presence among us, and we are grateful for the many ways she enhanced our community. Megan is and will be deeply missed.”
A celebration of life will be held in Nellor’s honor on Feb. 23 at 2 p.m. in Agnes Flanagan Chapel and will be attended by Nellor’s family. The service will be followed by a reception in Greg Pavillion.
Dean of Spiritual Life Mark Duntley spoke on the celebration of life.
“There will be an opportunity for people to share memories and gather, and as a community remind ourselves that this person was a valuable part of our community,” Duntley said. “Her life ended suddenly, and that’s a sadness that will last for a really long time for most of the people who knew her well.”
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