Two alumni, Corey Hunt and Amanda DiGirolomo, died in unrelated incidents on, Sept. 7, Labor Day morning

A third alumnus, Brian Filon, died before the start of the current academic year, on Aug. 17.

Shippensburg University announced to students via email that it plans to hold a memorial service for three of the school’s alumni who died in recent weeks.

“A collective memorial service is being planned for the near future,” the email said. “Details will be communicated to the university community when they are available.”

Corey Hunt

Hunt, 25, died from an ongoing battle with synovial cell sarcoma, which is a rare form of cancer that usually starts in the arms or the legs. Hunt was battling the disease for approximately five years.

According to posts on youcaring.com, an online fundraising site, Hunt had some success fighting the cancer, but it eventually returned and nearly took his life in July 2015.

“On July 17th, we were told that Corey would probably not make it through the night, let alone the weekend,” said a post on the blog, under the username Teodora Simu.

To the surprise of friends and family, Hunt did survive the night and in early August he posted that he was on his feet and generally healthier.

Despite his improvements, Hunt died peacefully in the presence of family, according to a Facebook post by his mother, Michelle Laspino-Hunt.

“We are asking everyone to please respect our privacy right now, and we will post information as it becomes available,” she posted.

Throughout the course of Hunt’s battle with cancer he received so many chemotherapy sessions that he reached the limit of being able to undergo any more treatments due to the damage it could cause to his organs.

Hunt graduated from SU with a bachelor’s degree in geoenvironmental studies. He was a member of the Red Raider football team from 2008 to 2012 as a defensive back and safety.

For his attitude, perseverance and determination Hunt received the Ray Ellis Fighting Heart award.

Amanda DiGirolomo

DiGirolomo, 25, died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, when a taxi driver hit her and friend, Bryan Botti, near City Hall. The driver was traveling at approximately 50 miles per hour in a 25 mph zone, according to a witness’s estimation, reported ABC 6.

Police officers arrived at Broad and Arch streets shortly after 4:30 a.m. and pronounced DiGirolomo dead at the scene, while Botti died at a hospital.

Though the Philadelphia Police have not confirmed that the driver was speeding, the 41-year-old cab driver struck the two pedestrians with such a force that it caused them to be hurled roughly 100 feet from the cab, according to ABC 6.

The two are believed to have been in the city to attend the Made In America festival.

DiGirolomo, originally from Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, graduated from SU with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science and a dual minor in biology and psychology, according to her Facebook page.

Brian Filon

Filon, 33, died at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts, according to Lancaster Online.

Filon was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania, and later lived in Dorchester, Massachusetts. He graduated from SU with a degree in communication/journalism in 2008 and earned his master’s degree in college student development from Shepherd University in West Virginia.

Some knew the SU alumnus as “the dog guy,” according to The Herald Mail. Filon is described as having been an animal lover, who worked at the Humane Society for Washington County. He visited local schools on a routine basis to share information about animals to elementary school students.

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