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The Ravenscroft School will hold a celebration of life for a teacher who was killed after someone broke into her home on Jan. 3.
The head of school, Derrick Willard, shared in an email obtained by WRAL News that as the community continues to process the “senseless loss” of Welsh, the community has been reminded of the bright light she brought to the campus for generations of students.
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One of Willard’s favorite descriptions of Welsh’s personality and impact is “radical positivity.” In honor of her legacy, her family will host the celebration of life service at the school.
The event, primarily held for Zoe Welsh’s family, friends and fellow Ravenscroft community, will take place at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 25 at the school’s theater. It will be closed to the media.
Community members are asked to wear bright “sunshine” colors to honor her.
“We remain focused on respecting the privacy of Zoe’s family during this unimaginable time,” the email wrote. “If you would like to honor Zoe, the family has asked that donations be made to the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and/or the Museum of Life and Science, in lieu of flowers. There will also be an opportunity to share personal, written reflections at the celebration of life service.”
The email added that the school is committed to providing a stable campus environment and it will continue to provide grief support resources based on the needs of students and faculty.
Accompanying the celebration of life invitation, the school also shared an in memoriam article that includes reflections from Welsh’s colleagues and former students.
A science department colleague and friend of Welsh’s wrote in that article: “Zoe didn’t just believe in the importance of community – she was an architect of it. Zoe brought a sense of light-hearted fun to everything she did, both in and out of school.”
On Thursday, former coworker Cathy Crossland provided a statement about Welsh.
“She stood up for what she believed, for her students, her colleagues, her family, her friends, and her community – because that is who she was,” Crossland wrote of Welsh. “She stood up for what she believed is proper, good and right and she stood up to be of purpose to others.
“Very likely, she would have been the person to ‘stand up’ for the individual who took her life, to try to understand what eludes all of us – if only she had the opportunity.”
The man accused of her murder, 36-year-old Ryan Camacho, is expected back in court for this case the day after this celebration.
