Last week, the owners of Fibrex had the honor of attending the memorial garden dedication for a wonderful young man whose life was cut too short. Ian Michael Burgett is the son of Roger & Tammy and the brother of Sam Burgett. Ian was attending his senior year Nansemond Suffolk Academy (NSA) and preparing to attend James Madison University, when he was tragically killed in an auto accident. The Burgett family is friends of ours whom we have the pleasure of knowing in our neighborhood at Book Club, Bunco, Fantasy Football, and while boating on the James River.
After Ian’s death, Tammy contacted NSA about creating a memorial garden at the school where students could gather and reflect during their day - even give them a chance to be reminded about who Ian was and share memories about him. Tammy is a Master Gardener herself so she had great plans about what the space would entail. Suzanne learned about Tammy’s plans while chatting with her on a Friday night. She offered that Fibrex could donate a bench to the garden for the students to relax on. Tammy agreed.
At the office next Monday, Suzanne emailed NSA and Tammy with the bench options that might suit for the garden. Within a week or so, Kenda Council from NSA contacted Suzanne about their decision of what model the bench would be. Fibrex began production of the Victorian Bench that would be placed in Ian’s garden.
We like the fact that the bench is made from recycled plastic bottles and sustainable. It also shows that whether the person whom it is dedicated to is still here or not, their soul and energy will continue to go on. Just like the renewable materials in the bench.
The bench looks wonderful standing next to the plaque that NSA provided in the garden. It was bittersweet attending the dedication last week. It brought back a lot of memories of Ian for us and the many classmates that attended. Wearing Ian’s favorite color pink and seeing the pink ribbon on the bench, we were all reminded of what an intelligent, athletic, kind and caring young man Ian was. He always lived life to the fullest with no regrets and made every day count. As Sam cut the pink ribbon I couldn’t help but think that the many students who will hang out in the courtyard will ultimately think back with fond memories of their fellow classmate, Ian Burgett. A talented son, brother, friend, student, swimmer, soccer player, sailor, runner and all around great guy who touched many lives and whom we all miss very deeply!!
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