Obituaries

Ethan William Sandhu of Olivette, MO, was shot and killed at 2:50 pm on June 1, 2021. Ethan was unarmed, and his life was taken just eight days after graduating from Ladue Horton Watkins High School. In the Fall, he planned to attend Webster University on music and academic scholarships. His college essay was a beautifully written description of his will to live and hope for his future, despite the significant struggles he’d experienced. Ethan had an empathetic spirit and went out of his way to provide kindness to those who needed it. Now that he’s gone, countless people will never receive that kindness.

Passionate about the environment and combating climate change, he co-founded Students for a Greener Earth (SAGE) at his new high school. After facing discrimination in his own life, he advocated for justice so that others would not have to experience what he did. He was outspoken against voter suppression, and for workers’ rights, women’s rights, and LGBTQ+ people. He was a friend to the friendless. More than anything, Ethan was hilarious, kind, beautiful, brilliant, and deeply loved.

Ethan loved music, nature, learning, cooking, and mycology. As a chef, he often formulated delectable, original pastries, desserts, and entrees. Music brought Ethan joy, which he spread to others around him. He played bassoon in middle school and high school and was to continue in college. He could quickly learn any instrument he picked up — acoustic and electric guitars, the piano, the flute, even the banjo. Ethan was also an excellent cyclist, competing in a triathlon at age 14 and winning his age group.

Ethan loved his dog Peanut, who always brought a smile to his face and calmed him when he felt overwhelmed by anxious thoughts. When he woke up in the mornings or arrived home from work or school, Ethan made a point to first find Peanut to hug her and tell her how much he loved her. She would howl and let him know that she loved him back.

As the youngest among his three siblings and six cousins, he was adored by his family. Our hearts are overwhelmed with disbelief and profound sadness.

He is survived by his parents, Gopi and Mary Kay Sandhu; three older brothers, Dillon, Joel, and Micah; his partner Hannah Rose; paternal grandparents Balbir and Kulwant Sandhu; maternal grandparents Margie (James) Berry and Whitney (Tammy) Westgate; along with a loving extended family of cousins, aunts, and uncles across the U.S., India, and the world. At 10 am on June 4, 2021, Ethan was laid to rest wrapped in a linen shroud in a bed of flowers, a green burial that reflected his respect for nature, at Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis. In lieu of flowers, his family asks that any donations made in Ethan’s honor focus on the epidemic of gun violence and other causes he cared about. Some options can be found through this link: https://linktr.ee/EthanSandhu