Portsmouth Abbey is deeply saddened to report the tragic death of Adam R. Towler, Class of 2005. Adam died early Sunday morning in Laramie, Wyoming. Dom Julian Stead, O.S.B. '43 has been with the family in Wyoming and has relayed the condolences of the Portsmouth Abbey community to Mr. and Mrs. Towler.
A Rosary and Remembrance for Adam will be held at St. Laurence O'Toole Church on Friday, July 21 at 7:00p.m. The funeral service will follow at St. Laurence on Saturday, July 22 at 10:30 a.m. The Church is located at 319 E Grand Ave, Laramie, Wyoming.
A scholarship fund and a geography education fund have been established at St. Laurence O'Toole Catholic School in Adam's name. The School's address is 608 South 4th, Laramie, Wyoming 82070. Additional information about St. Laurence may be found on the school Website.
We ask that you keep Adam and his family in your prayers.
The following are excerpts from an article entitled Towler grew up in Laramie published on 7/18/2006 in the Laramie Boomerang, written by Boomerang staff writer Micah Sturr:
When Adam Towler was murdered Sunday morning, Brian and Shelley Towler lost their only son, and Renee and Sarah Towler lost their only brother. The world lost a peacemaker, intellectual, poet and diplomat.
"There will be a lot of kids around Laramie who are devastated by this, like our family is," Brian Towler said. "The world will be a poorer place because Adam isn't around."
As a student at St. Lawrence School and Laramie Junior High School, Adam Towler distinguished himself as a student and represented Wyoming in back-to-back years in the national geography bee. He went on to high school on a scholarship to Portsmouth Abbey in Portsmouth, R.I. His passion for the world flourished.
Adam quickly began volunteering, running track and cross-country and writing. During his year at Emory University in Atlanta, Adam threw himself into his studies in Hindi, Middle Eastern and Asian studies. He was the editor of The Emory Political Review, active in Catholic campus life and maintained a robust 3.7 grade point average.
In the fall, Adam was to begin his dream of foreign diplomatic service at the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
"Adam has contributed a lot to this community, and the people who knew him, I'd like them to keep his name alive so he's not forgotten," Brian Towler said.
