Funeral For Student Killed In Wyoming Rafting Accident Set For Aug. 4

SANDY SPRINGS, GA -- Friends and family members will gather to say goodbye to the Holy Innocents' Episcopal School graduate whose body was recovered earlier this month from a river in Wyoming following a rafting accident.

The memorial for University of Georgia student Oliver Walker Woodward, 21, will be held at 1 p.m. Friday, Aug. 4 at Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Atlanta.

Around 7:46 p.m. Tuesday, July 4, deputies with the Teton County Sheriff's Office responded to a report of two missing people who had been rafting on Snake River south of Hoback Junction. According to agency, the missing people were ejected from the raft when it went through rapids known as Kings Wave. The party consisted of six people: four men and two women.

According to Jackson Hole Daily, three of the six were able to get back into the raft while two others swam to shore. The search for Woodward continued for three days until law enforcement made the difficult choice to scale back the search. The 21-year-old's body was subsequently recovered July 12, according to previous reports.

According to his obituary, Woodward attended Peachtree Presbyterian Preschool, Jackson Elementary, Sutton Middle and Holy Innocents' Episcopal schools. He was a rising senior and business major at UGA, a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and studied at the London School of Economics in the summer of 2016.

When he was not working towards his college degree, Woodward enjoyed traveling, fishing, camping, cooking, golf, cheering on the Bulldogs, music and spending time with friends. A member of Peachtree Christian Church, Woodward's obituary notes he was "kindhearted and generous."

Woodward is survived by parents, Julia and Chris Woodward; brother Harrison S. Woodward of Atlanta; grandmother Mary Sudduth Bell of Starkville, Mississippi; aunts and uncles, Laura and Jim White of Orange Beach, Alabama; Susan Bell and Pat Morris of Atlanta; Loren and Cris Bell of Starkville, Mississippi; Leah and Mark Ellis of Columbus, Mississippi; Allen and Tara Bell of Ottawa, Kansas; Vic and Kathleen Woodward of Seattle, Washington; Dave and Sarah Woodward of Sun Valley, Idaho; Tim and Maggie Woodward of Mill Valley, California; 26 first cousins and other extended family members.

In lieu of flowers, residents are asked to make donations to Holy Innocents' Episcopal School, Northside Youth Organization, Peachtree Presbyterian Church, Teton County Search & Rescue, WinShape Foundation or a charity of your choice.

Image via Teton County Sheriff's Office