Funeral Set for Slain Foreign Journalist

A funeral Mass for Marie Colvin, the international journalist from Long Island who was killed while on assignment in war-torn Syria Feb. 22, will be held Monday in Oyster Bay.

Colvin's body will be laid to rest following a Mass at St. Dominic Roman Catholic Church on Monday at 11 a.m. Colvin grew up in East Norwich and attended Oyster Bay High School, graduating in 1974. Family members still live in the area.

Colvin, 56, was on assignment for the Sunday Times of London in Homs, Syria, when she was killed in a rocket attack, according to the Mail Online of the United Kingdom.

Syrian government forces loyal to their dictator, President Bashar al-Assad, had besieged the city in an ongoing civil war that has ravaged the region. She died alonside French photographer Remi Ochlik, 28.

Only hours earlier, she provided CNN with a first-hand account of the fighting, including her report of watching a baby die from the bombardment. She was scheduled to leave the country the following day.

The U.S. State Department made arrangements to have the body returned to the United States through European diplomats.

The award-winning journalist was the eldest of five children. She is survived by her mother, who still lives in East Norwich, two sisters and two brothers.

The wake is scheduled for Saturday from 7-9 p.m. and Sunday from 3-5 p.m. at the Oyster Bay Funeral Home on South Street, Oyster Bay.

A fund, established by the Colvin family at the Long Island Community Foundation, has already received donations from all over the country and the UK. The fund will direct donations to charitable and educational organizations reflecting Colvin's values, including her "lifelong dedication to humanitarian aid, human rights, journalism and education," fund organizers announced.

Donations may be made to:

The Marie Colvin Fund at LICF
1864 Muttontown Road
Syosset, N.Y. 11791

To donate online, please click this link: https://www.justgive.org/nonprofits/donate.jsp?ein=13-3062214 and direct the gift to the Marie Colvin Fund.

The Long Island Community Foundation makes grants to improve the region and helping donors with their philanthropy since 1978.