Toms River grad remembered at vigil after fatal fall from frat house roof

Funeral arrangements have been announced for Toms River South graduate Sean Guthrie as friends and family gathered to remember him.

The 20-year-old fell from a roof at his fraternity house on the campus of West Virginia University early Sunday morning. He was taken off life support early Wednesday at a hospital in Morgantown. His funeral is scheduled for Monday at St. Joseph's Church on Hooper Avenue in Toms River. Visitation is at the Anderson & Campbell Funeral Home in Toms River from 4 to 9 p.m. Sunday.

Sara Whitman, a friend who organized the vigil Thursday, said it was an "absolutely incredible" night. She said that police and firefighters came to the vigil and flew a huge American flag. "It was so touching seeing so many people come out for Sean," Whitman said.

After a moment of silence, Whitman said people were invited to share a memory about Sean with the crowd.

"I think he definitely would have been smiling down on us last night," she said Friday. "I was so happy to see everyone come out. People who didn't really know him came out. It was really great."

"About two hundred of us gathered tonight to remember you: an intelligent, caring, genuine, vibrant, talented and all around fantastic young man. You'd be so happy to see how many lives you positively impacted," Whitman wrote on her Facebook page after the vigil.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com.