Memorial planned for architect

Will Sturges remembered as a gentle, generous person

Will Sturges, who died in the river he loved, found joy in simple things and beauty in just about everything, his family and friends recalled.

"Everything he did - even a letter - was a work of art," said his brother, Jim Sturges of Corona, Calif.

"He loved canoeing and built his own," recalled John McBride, who had been Sturges' friend since they were in Episcopal youth groups in high school. The boat, crafted of bent pieces of cedar wood that were varnished and revarnished, "looks like a piece of furniture," he said.

The 35-year-old architect disappeared Sunday morning after last being seen at the Riverfront Saloon, located near his home on the Ochlockonee River. Sturges' body was found in the river Wednesday by Leon County sheriff's divers who had been searching for him.

According to the preliminary report from an autopsy performed Thursday, Sturges died from drowning, with no evidence of trauma to the body or foul play.

Sturges joined Barnett Fronczak Architects in 1996 and became a partner in the firm in the spring, said Rick Barnett, also a partner in the firm.

Born in Baltimore, Md., Sturges came with his family to Tallahassee in 1972. His father, Wilton "Tony" Sturges III, is a professor of oceanography at Florida State University. Will Sturges graduated from Florida High in 1983 and received his degree in architecture from Auburn University. After receiving a master's degree from the University of Oregon, Sturges "wrote a dream application" and was named a Fulbright scholar, McBride said. He spent a year at the University of Auckland in New Zealand studying the architecture of indigenous Maori people.

When he returned to Tallahassee, Sturges bought and renovated his Ochlockonee River home, McBride said. "He really wanted to settle here, to give something back to the community." Neighbors who visited while Sturges was missing told of his willingness to help. "Each one has a story of him hauling furniture or fixing a door," McBride said. "He was a very generous person, a very gentle person."

Sturges was instrumental in getting a state grant and funding from the bishop to replace the roof and do other renovations at the historical Chapel of the Resurrection, the Episcopal church that serves students at Florida State University, where he was a member.

A prayer vigil for Sturges will be held tonight at 7 at the Chapel of the Resurrection. The service will be held in the chapel Saturday at 2 p.m. The family will receive friends following the service in Ruge Hall, adjacent to the Chapel.

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