Uryan Rampersaud, of Inwood, Dies at 17

Hundreds of members of the Lawrence School District community converged on Saturday in the auditorium to mourn the loss of a 17-year-old senior who passed away.

Uryan Rampersaud, of Inwood, died of heart complications Thursday. He is survived by his parents and two younger brothers — an 11th grader and middle school student — as well as many friends and extended family members.

“From his smiling face to his loyalty, there was no one in the world that didn't share positive energy with this boy,” Uryan’s friends wrote to Patch (see below). “No matter where you were from, no matter where you were headed, there was always room in Uyran's heart for you. His brother Dylan said it beautifully, ‘his heart was too big for his body.’

“He truly had a presence that could light up a room, and we just wanted to say, we miss you.”

An uncle of Uryan who spoke at the memorial said that on Thursday, Uryan went upstairs to his room, and after 15 minutes did not return. When one of his cousins went to check on him, he told the family that Uryan was sleeping with his eyes open and that his lips were blue. An ambulance was called, and after CPR was administered, Uryan was brought to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Uryan suffered from a collapsed mitral valve, his uncle said.

Another one of Uryan’s uncles thanked everyone who came to the memorial.

“I didn’t realize he was so loved at school,” he said. “On behalf of my brother and his wife, I’d like to thank you for making this better for us.”

Uryan Rampersaud, also known as Ryan, was a leader in model congress and the orchestra program, Superintendent Gary Schall said. He was on the honor roll and won an award from the American Psychiatric Association.

One of his teachers, Steve Sullivan, described Uryan as a quiet person with a dry sense of humor, an excellent student and a "veritable United Nations" who only saw people, not race or gender.

"He was a Hindu mensch," Sullivan said.

Uryan was accepted into Indiana University’s seven-year medical program.

“He was deeply loved by the students,” said Schall, who described Uryan as “one of our most outstanding students.”

The funeral will be held on Tuesday and the school district will provide transportation for any student who wishes to attend, Schall said.

To honor Uryan’s memory, a parent in the district established a Pencils of Promise page, where people can donate to build a school in a third world country. A Facebook page, “Rest In Peace Uryan Rampersaud,” was set up Thursday night.

From Jake Gottesman, Jeremy DiLuzio, Ron Hirshberg, Gabi Golan, Habeeb Famuyide, Richard Luna, Kwadwo Agyapong, Nicole Gartner and Albert Salama:

We could sit here and tell you all how much we miss our dear friend, Uryan Rampersaud, but if you knew him, you knew he wouldn't want that. He knows we miss him, because he can see all of us now. He'd much rather hear about all that he's done for everyone.

From his smiling face to his loyalty, there was no one in the world that didn't share positive energy with this boy. No matter where you were from, no matter where you were headed, there was always room in Uyran's heart for you.

His brother Dylan said it beautifully, “his heart was too big for his body.”

On behalf of our friends and classmates, we'd like to share some words to describe him the best.

"The first thing that comes to mind when I think of him is his smile. He had the best chuckle. He was always there to listen, no matter what you were saying, cheering about, or complaining about. He had a way of making a pile of nothing turn into and seem like a stack of wonders. Loyal, that's really it. He was honest, and so truthful, but he was so gentle about everything. In all my years of being friends with him, which seems like forever, we really never fought. We were always too busy laughing. He had a way of making other people laugh, that's for sure. No matter what. His life changed mine. He's like the gift that keeps on giving. Whenever people are low, I'm gonna think, what would Uryan do to brighten the mood? Cause he was so good at that.”

He truly had a presence that could light up a room, and we just wanted to say, we miss you. Our deepest sympathy, prayers and condolences go out to the entire Rampersaud family and friends of Uryan, every single one of them. May you rest in peace U, and keep smiling.