The body of a Brazilian exchange student found dead last month has been sent home with the co-operation of the University of Lincoln.
The student, named locally as Ivson Nunes, 26, was studying illustration at the University of Lincoln and was found dead on Sunday, August 16.
Lincolnshire Police did not treat his death as suspicious.
Originally, his friends had started to fundraise so that his body could be returned to his family in Brazil; however, when the University of Lincoln stepped in to fund the costs of the repatriation, his friends announced they would send the money already raised to his family in order to finance the funeral.
A University of Lincoln spokesperson said: “The whole University community has been saddened by Ivson’s death and we would like to express our sincere condolences to his family and friends.
“Any financial support required by his family to get him home will be provided by the University in liaison with the local Coroner’s Office and the Brazilian Embassy.”
UPDATE 2015-09-21, 15:59: the University of Lincoln have been in contact since this story went to print in our Freshers 2015 edition, confirming that Ivson’s body has now been repatriated with financial assistance from the University.
They are now in the process of arranging for his belongings to be returned to his family.
The Linc’s Deputy News Editor Danyal Khan pays tribute to him:
One evening last year, I sat down at a talk during Discover Islam Week and while I was fiddling with my phone, waiting for the talk to start, I was startled.
“Hi, my name’s Ivson. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” said the man next to me, with a beaming smile.
That’s the moment when I had the pleasure to meet Ivson Nunes. Ivson’s smile was infectious, and there isn’t a word in the English language that can do it justice. He
could brighten a dim lighthouse with his smile and cheer up any room with his laugh.
It’s difficult to knit the right words together to describe Ivson and do him justice, but the only ones that feel right are kind-hearted, pure and incredible. Even then, a sentence with any of those words wouldn’t be enough to express the happiness Ivson emitted.
Let us remember Ivson as a brave and loving man, who followed his heart to Lincoln and made an impact on everyone and anyone he met.
Ivson touched the hearts of people in Lincoln, as well as in his homeland of Brazil. Daniella Rosa, a friend of Ivson left this tribute for him on his Facebook wall:
“A striking smile, a kind heart, a wonderful person. Words are not enough to describe you to be as wonderful as you were my friend. I remember each of our conversations, every
laugh, the plans that you had…now there’s only memories, the longing that will never pass and the pain of seeing you leave us so early.”
You’ll forever be in our memory Ivson. Rest in peace.