Jeremy John Hummer

Jeremy Hummer, age 32, of Providence, Rhode Island passed away suddenly Saturday, September 16, 2017 at the Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center.

He was born at home with midwives attending with his beloved sister Jennifer eagerly awaiting his arrival on September 25, 1984 in Lexington, Kentucky. The son of Robin Leigh Pickering and John Edward Hummer grew to be a caring, compassionate boy who loved nature, hiking, camping, Native American totems and other natural items of beauty, including seashells which he avidly collected on trips to Virginia Beach and the Outer Banks. In elementary school, he began his fascination with the game of chess, garnering State Championship titles as a fifth grader in Maryland and as a 6th, 7th, and 8th grader in Virginia. In 2001, he won the Virginia State High School Chess Championship, earning him a spot in the prestigious Denker Tournament of High School Champions. He went on to earn a full-ride scholarship to the University of Maryland Baltimore County from which he graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics in December 2007. Next, he attended graduate school in Economic Policy Analysis, while supporting his life partner, Alisha Crowley, in her pursuit of a medical degree.

He became a board game enthusiast, enjoying frequent gatherings with his gaming friends. He had an impressive green-thumb, cultivating exotic orchids that most others could not maintain. As an adult, he never lost his love of numismatics, compiling an impressive collection that included his favorites, Indian Head pennies, Morgan dollars, and American Eagle silver dollars, While he always loved baseball, he became an avid New York Yankees fan in his teen years. He often had the opportunity to attend games at Yankee Stadium with his uncles.

Jeremy had a continuing passion for academics and remained up-to-date in the areas of economic policy and U.S. and international politics. He also read extensively on the topics of climate change, statistical methodology, and humanist philosophy. He was a skilled tutor, counting among his prized pupils, his dear friend, Matthew Mangine of Lexington, KY, his partner’s sister, Samantha Crowley, and his beloved niece Allie Fitzpatrick.

In the last weeks of his life Jeremy enjoyed multiple trips to Six Flags and several films with his life partner and a Labor Day camping trip with his family in Vermont, continuing his participation in the tradition of family hiking outings on a number of holidays throughout the year. He was visiting with his mother, his sister, her husband, and his niece and nephew at the time of his death.

Survivors include his mother, Robin Leigh Pickering of Montclair, Virginia; father, John Edward Hummer of Lexington, Kentucky; sister, Jennifer Fitzpatrick and husband Jon of Montclair, Virginia; and his life partner, Alisha Crowley of Providence, Rhode Island. He is also survived by cherished uncles, Mark Pickering, of Watertown, MA and his wife Juliette, Alan Pickering, of Weehawken, NJ, and his wife Loreen Rowley, and his beloved aunts Aimee Gazelle, of Scottsdale, AZ, and Emily Harner of Potomac, MD and her husband Steve. He was preceded in death by his dear uncle, Andrew Pickering of NY, NY, but is also survived by Andrew’s wife Clare Pickering. A special place of honor must be reserved for Jeremy’s “father of the heart” his uncle and mentor, Christopher Pickering of Astoria, NY.

In addition, Jeremy is survived by his treasured niece, Alessandra (Allie) Fitzpatrick, and his adored nephew Noah Fitzpatrick. Also a big part of his life, were his cousins Sarah Pickering Cleary and her husband Shane, Marshall Harner, Caroline Pickering, Avery Harner, and Violet Pickering.

His Dayton, Ohio family includes his grandmother Alice Hummer, uncles Ron, Joe, and Mike Hummer, and aunts Karen Worth and Linda Massey.

The family will receive friends from 6:00-9:00PM Friday, September
22, 2017 at Pierce Funeral Home, 9609 Center Street, Manassas, Virginia where funeral services will be held at 10:00AM Saturday, September 23, 2017. Interment will be held at 3:00PM at the Cool Spring Natural Cemetery, 901 Cool Spring Lane, Berryville, Virginia.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to www.gofundme.com/JeremyH to help defray the costs of funeral and burial. Because Jeremy had a year’s long battle with chronic pain which the current limits of medicine could not address, all funds in excess will be donated to the Center to Advance Chronic Pain Research at the University of Maryland Baltimore.