An Asbury University student has died while taking part in a rugby game on campus in Wilmore just months before he was set to graduate.
24-year-old Jeff McMillan of Florence collapsed at about 1:25 p.m. Saturday and was pronounced dead a short time later at St. Joseph Jessamine in Nicholasville.
Hughes said the cause of death appeared to be natural, but autopsy results would include a determination.
According to the school's website, McMillan worked for four years in the University’s Physical Plant, the department responsible for maintaining and improving all campus facilities and grounds.
“Jeff was a pillar of strength on which he carried the burdens of his friends and family,” Calvin Nurge ’11 shared with the assembly. “Every night that it’s snowed for the past three years, it was Jeff who scraped your sidewalk. And every time you’ve enjoyed the scent of freshly mown grass after a light rain, that was Jeff.”
McMillan was a Sport Management major.
In honor of McMillan’s life, service and passion for athletics, the University will plant a crabapple tree near the George E. Luce Physical Activities Center.
“There couldn’t be a more perfect way to honor Jeff,” said McMillan’s mother, Jackie, who attended the service. “Jeff’s father and I are so grateful for the outpouring of love and friendship to Jeff that has blessed and enriched his life. Everyone at Asbury has been wonderful to honor him and take care of anything we need.
“I’m overwhelmed by the comments,” she continued, “about what Jeff meant to people at Asbury, and I know how much Asbury meant to Jeff. He felt so blessed to be here.”
