JACKSON (WNE) — A memorial service and celebration of life for U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum, who was killed in Afghanistan on Aug. 26, will take place Saturday afternoon and evening at the Gill family’s Jackson Hole Hereford Ranch.
Seating will begin at 1 p.m. for a 2 p.m. service, which will be open to the public and accessible via an entrance on South Park Loop Road. The afternoon will include a 21-gun salute, a flyover and an official service.
The McCollums anticipate more guests than there will be available chairs, so they recommend members of the public bring chairs with them.
Later in the evening, beginning around 7 p.m., the McCollums will celebrate their loved one’s life with appetizers, drinks, live music and “Rylee-Rated” storytelling.
Jenny Tolman, whose album “There Goes the Neighborhood’’ was singled out by the Nashville Scene as Best Country Debut Album, will play live at the event.
According to Bob Tomb, who helped plan the event, there will be free hors d’oeuvres, beer and wine, and a cash bar for mixed drinks.
The Gill Ranch is on South Park Loop Road. Signs will point guests to the ranch.
“Rylee wasted no time answering the call to serve our country, joining the Marines right out of high school,” U.S. Sen. John Barrasso said in a statement. “As Rylee’s dad once said, he was ‘full-blooded red, white and blue.’”
Event organizers seek donations to help fund the event through the Venmo account @honoringourvets.
