Update re: celebration of life: Dr. Michael Karch issued the change of plans in this email –
I apologize for the change of venue again. We will be at Canyon Lodge due to its capacity of 1000.
Rusty Gregory and Mammoth Mountain have graciously donated Canyon Lodge and will provide ALL FOOD. Please note: DO NOT BRING FOOD.
NO VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR SETUP. STAFF DONATED BY MMSA.
A cash bar will be available.
1. “Andy’s Last Ski Run”. Meet on top of Gondola at 3:30
2. Doors open at Canyon Lodge Upstairs auditorium at 5pm
3. Music by Eastern Sierra Chamber Orchestra at 5:15
4. Eulogy and speakers to follow beginning at 5:30
5. Slide show to follow
6. Food and Beverage to follow
7. Event close at 8:30
Late Friday, the Mono Sheriff’s Office confirmed what other sources had reported, Dr. Andrew Bourne of Mammoth Lakes took his own life.
The Sheriff’s press release said, “An autopsy was conducted on the morning of Friday January 27, 2012 by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department Coroner with results confirming that Dr. Bourne did commit suicide. There is no evidence to suspect foul play in his death. Final cause of death is still pending toxicological results which could take several weeks or longer.”
KEYT TV News of Santa Barbara reported that sources told them Dr. Bourne injected himself with drugs. Bourne’s tragic death followed his arrest and charges for allegedly contacting a minor for purposes of sex. He was out of jail on $750,000 bail awaiting court appearances.
Meanwhile, friends and family of Andrew Bourne have organized a celebration of Bourne’s life for Saturday, February 4th. The event will now take place at Eagle Lodge.
Dr. Michael Karch of Mammoth sent out this statement:
“We are all saddened and shocked by the recent tragic events surrounding the untimely death of Andrew Bourne. Andy, and the Bourne family as a whole, have positively affected countless lives in our community in many ways.
Please support Gilann, Rand, Finley, Jon , Penny, Sierra, and Eric, and other Bourne family members through this most difficult time by celebrating and remembering Andrew’s life.”
EVENT SCHEDULE: Saturday Feb 4, 2012
1. 3:30 Andy’s Last Run. Meet at the top of the Gondola
2. 4:00 – Volunteers needed to set up Eagle Lodge
3. 5:15 music
4. 5:30- Eulogy, speakers, slide show.
Gilann, Rand, Finley, Jon , Penny, Sierra, and Eric, and other Bourne family members – the celebration should be for these people and their lives….they are here with us, they choose to stay and live through their hurt, their pain, their troubles…. they can still make a difference in the community and the world for the rest of their natural lives….it’s their life that should be celebrated and cherished, they are the heroes …Dr. Bourne decided to leave…he already took his last run…without us….he didn’t invite us….didn’t ask us to wait for him until he got the troubles of his life taken care of…he just left…and I suppose he thought we would all some how understand…and maybe he even hoped we would forget the bad and only remember the good…but suicide is never going to bring “the good” to our mind when we remember him…
…it’s beyond difficult when someone decides to take their own life…but it needs to be said that suicide is wrong…plain and simply wrong…it’s the last run, that’s for sure….
He may have been a great surgeon….but only a coward would take their own life. Shame on him for doing this to his family.
May be a cowardly act, but can anyone truly feel the pain and anguish that he must have been feeling. One sad thing is what this whole thing exposes about where our society is headed. We teach sex-ed and hand out condoms in our schools. Sex and promiscuity are rampant in our teens as revealed by the single mothers out there and the clothes parents let young girls wear. Not trying to say the two men weren’t wrong, but did this young girl lure them into her lifestyle or did they lure an innocent sexually nieve young girl into their world? We may never know, but it is sad that the two men are being convicted in the media when the drama hungry media seem to know nothing of the circumstances. Both men were close friends of the girls family and to think that they would risk throwing their whole lives away and initiate something like this just doesn’t stand up to the skunk test! My point is that our morals are crumbling around us, teen sex and pregnancy are okay and yet if an adult is caught up in it society throws the proverbial book at them! See the hypocrisy in it? Again, the men may have been wrong and child sexual abuse is a real problem, but now one is dead because of society’s hypocrisy described above.
Wow, I did not know a 14 year old girl had so much power over 2 men in their late 40’s! If it is true and we will never really know… sorry but shame on them. They know better… who is the adult here??
I do agree morals are crumbling but to say it was the 14 year olds fault is ridiculous!
When I wrote my comment, I was unaware of the plans/preparations to runaway with the girl, and that changes my outlook on this. That is not to say that all young girls are innocent angels. Poor parenting and societies falling moral standards are going to loom larger and larger especially now that Obama is pushing for taxpayer funded drive thru abortions.