The Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture, with absolute sadness, report that one of our Landscape Architecture graduate students had passed away on the morning of November 28 from liver failure due to colorectal cancer. He was an incredible and beloved son, brother, student, friend, and partner. Below is a statement from his family:
“Ian Alexander Santino (born July 17th, 1986) passed away at sunrise on Tuesday, November 28th, 2017, from liver failure due to colorectal cancer.
Ian was a loved son, brother, friend, and partner. He lived an incredibly full and passionate life.
Ian once said that death is a creative act, of energy releasing into the world like a burst of sunlight to be absorbed into other living things. Ian will be buried naturally with a burr oak planted over him, so that he can become part of the natural world he loved.
The first of many Celebrations of Ian will be held on Saturday, Dec. 2 at the Farley Center outside of Madison. Burial service will be at 2:00 pm followed by a vegan potluck.
(Farley Center, 2299 Spring Rose Road, Verona, WI 53593)
(Ian’s favorite source for vegan recipes is the Avant-Garde Vegan on you-tube. We will supply Ian’s famous vegan macaroni and cheese.)
Love,
Team Ian”
Ian requested that donations be made to the Center for Biological Diversity or The Conservation Fund. Donations are also being accepted for an oak tree to be planted in the UW Lakeshore Nature Preserve next to the Biocore Prairie where Santino conducted his field work for his research. Ian will be greatly missed by the students and the faculty of the department and by his fellow TAs. The College of Letters and Science published a lovely tribute to Ian on their website which can be found here. Ian was a wonderful and generous person and will be immensely missed by all.