U.S. Naval Academy Funeral Honors Midshipman Hans Loewen

By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Nathan A. Wilkes

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (NNS) -- Midshipmen, faculty and staff, family and friends filled the pews of the U.S. Naval Academy chapel April 9 for funeral services honoring the life of Midshipman 3rd Class Hans Loewen.

Loewen, 20, died while in a coma at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, March 29. His death came six days after he sustained injuries in a skateboarding accident while on liberty away from the academy.

Loewen was an oceanography major and a member of the 7th Company. He participated in the Adventure Racing Team, the American Nuclear Society and the Rock Climbing Club.

Remembrances of Loewen, before and during his time at the Naval Academy, were shared during the eulogy.

"As the superintendent told us when he visited Hans in the hospital just after his accident, every member of the brigade and Naval Academy staff are threads in the moral fabric that uplift our midshipmen," said Marine Corps Maj. Carrie Stocker, 7th company commander. "It's woven into the cloth that Hans wove since his baptism, confirmation and spiritual journey with his Episcopal Church family everywhere he lived."

Loewen had a reputation among his classmates for living life to the fullest and being fearless.

"Hans has the aura of a guy who can do the impossible," said Stocker while reading a remembrance. "Anything he put his mind to, he attacked with a fire unlike anyone I have ever known. He showed that 'impossible' is something we tell ourselves when we are afraid."

The number of midshipmen filling the chapel was a testament to Loewen's influence on his peers and friends.

"His capacity for good does not rest with his body," said Stocker. "It continues on in the success of the lives that he touched, as his spirit continues on into the eternity."

Immediately after the funeral service, Loewen was buried in the Naval Academy cemetery, following an on-foot procession from the chapel.

Loewen is survived by his parents, Eric and Jennifer, and his sister Zatha, who is also a midshipman at the Naval Academy.