Friends family and the students of Albany High School will gather at the school Nov. 19 to celebrate the life of a classmate who lived life to the fullest.

Jesse Matthew Chow-Smith, 15, a sophomore at Albany High died Nov. 4 after a long battle with cancer. A leukemia survivor at age 4, Jesse fought a treatment-related secondary cancer 10 years later. Despite major challenges, Jesse never let his illness keep him from living a normal life, his family said.

Born at Kaiser Oakland on Jan. 9, 1994, Jesse enjoyed music, biking, camping and hiking, skiing, rock climbing, computer games, history, food and cooking. Jesse loved music, playing alto, tenor and soprano saxophone throughout his school years at Marin Elementary, Albany Middle School and Albany High School.

"Jesse, you are a true warrior spirit, and we all love you and miss you very much,'' wrote his parents, Kevin Smith and Lena Chow of Albany.

To honor Jesse's love for music, a memorial fund has been set up through the Albany Music Fund.

Donations may be sent to the Albany Music Fund (www.albanymusic.org) "The Jesse Chow-Smith Music Scholarship Fund", or to the National Brain Tumor Society (www.braintumor.org) to help find better treatments and a cure for brain cancer.

The high school service will be held Nov. 19, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. followed by a reception from 7— 8 p.m. at the Albany High School Multipurpose Room, 603 Key Route Blvd.


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