Memorial Gathering For Reston’s Stuart Rakoff Sunday

A celebration in memory of Stuart Rakoff, the Cornerstones chair and longtime Reston resident who died last month at age 69, will be held Sunday.

The remembrance, on Feb. 2 at the Hyatt Regency Reston from 1 to 4 p.m., will not be a formal memorial service, but an informal gathering for friends, family and colleagues.

“Instead of eulogy come prepared with your most persuasive intellectual argument and your funniest puns,” the Rakoff family said. “Stu honored tradition but valued laughter and lightheartedness. He didn’t want a funeral with solemn-faced people in dark suits. Please feel free to come dressed casually.”

Rakoff, a Reston resident since 1974, lost a 16-month battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). He documented his illness in a series of honest blog posts, the last entry coming the day before his death.

In lieu of flowers, consider donations to three organizations important to Rakoff:

Cornerstones

Capital Caring Hospice

The ALS Association of DC