NATHAN Valencia, a Filipino American college student from Las Vegas, will be laid to rest during a memorial service and funeral mass nearly a month after he died during an amateur charity boxing match.
Funeral services for the 20-year-old will be set for Sunday, December 19 at 7 p.m. at Holy Spirit Catholic Church (Bishop Gorman) on Mesa Park Drive in Las Vegas.
The funeral, which is open to the public, comes nearly a month since Valencia succumbed to his injuries on Nov. 23, four days after he collapsed during a boxing match that was intended to raise money for charity.
The event, which was organized by the University of Las Vegas Nevada’s Kappa Sigma fraternity, was held off campus on Nov. 19, as previously reported by the Asian Journal.
Valencia’s cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head and was ruled a homicide, according to the Clark County Coroner’s office.
“Although Mr. Valencia’s death is tragic, the circumstances surrounding his death are not criminal and no charges will be filed,” the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said in a previous statement.
The fraternity hosting the event has been suspended and the Nevada Athletic Commission will be doing its own investigation.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help his family with medical and funeral expenses.
“Nathan Tyler Valencia was someone who made an impact on anyone he met,” the page, written by Lacey Foster reads. “Nathan had a smile that lit up every room he walked into.”
At the time of his death, Valencia was a junior at UNLV majoring in kinesiology. He was an active member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, his GoFundMe page said.
A registered organ donor, Valencia’s organs were donated tot help eight people, according to his family. n
