Obituaries | 2000-2010

TOAN VU TRAN, a video blogger based in Hanoi, Vietnam, died July 23, 2014. He was 27. Known as Toan Shinoda to his followers, he returned to live and work in Vietnam after graduation from Wesleyan. His humorous video blogs covered various topics of modern social issues, and he was also know for music videos in which he sang, rapped, and covered famous bands. Fluent in English, he also posted videos on how to learn English effectively. His parents and family survive.

JOCELYN MOORE SWEET, 31, an attorney and health insurance specialist at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, died Apr. 2, 2014. She received her degree with honors. In the years since her diagnosis with bone cancer, she earned a law degree from American University and became a health insurance specialist so that she could make sure others had access to health care. Among those who survive are her parents, Laurie Kaslove and David Moore, and her husband, Brian Sweet, two sisters, and a nephew and nieces.

DAVID L. HARRIS, a government major, died July 31, 2008, in a hiking accident in Oregon. He was 21. During the fall semester of his senior year he studied in India. While at Wesleyan, he volunteered with the Traverse Square tutoring program and enjoyed playing and learning music. Among those who survive are his mother, father, and brother.

TADD GERO, 22, a reporter and writer who often performed stories that he h ad written, sometimes accompanied by live music, died Aug. 17, 2009, of pneumonia. At Wesleyan he was a theater major and reported for the Argus. He had been living in a community of artists in Philadelphia and working at Urban Outfitters. Among those who survive are his mother, Felissa Rose Gero,

NOAH L. SIMRING, a talented musician who had been on leave from Wesleyan for two years, died July 29, 2006, his 21st birthday. Described as multi-talented and highly creative by family and friends, he is survived by his parents and a sister.

BRENDAN R. O’REILLY died Sept. 5, 2005, of injuries sustained in a biking accident in Prescott, Ariz. He was 20. At Wesleyan he studied chemistry and French and was the recipient of the CRC Award for outstanding work in chemistry during his freshman year. Survivors include his parents, Brian and Gail O’Reilly, a brother, and a sister.

TERENCE B. LEARY, 19, died unexpectedly Nov. 4, 2003. He was a member of Psi Upsilon. Among his extracurricular activities, he was a pitcher for the Wesleyan baseball team. Survivors include his parents, a brother, his paternal grandparents, his maternal grandmother, and a large extended family.

LILLY J. M. NGUYEN, 29, a biology major who was in the process of applying to medical school, was killed on Nov. 21, 2010, the innocent victim of a domestic dispute between her sister and her sister’s boyfriend, both of whom died. She was working at Tufts University School of Medicine as a research technician. Among those who survive are her parents, one sister, and several nieces and nephews.

AARON K. THALER, a social services case manager and avid musician, died of a brain tumor on Apr. 24, 2011. He was 28. Despite being diagnosed with a brain tumor during his junior year abroad in South Africa, and all the treatments that followed, he managed to travel to Africa, Israel, South America, and all over America with his family and friends. Within weeks following major surgery in 2009, he hiked to the top of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park. As a case manager, he assisted clients disabled by HIV/AIDS. He is survived by his parents, his brother, his paternal grandfather, and a large extended family.