Friends and family came together on Saturday to celebrate the life of Ian Jones, one week to the day after he drowned while kayaking with girlfriend Tali Lennox in the Hudson River. Mourners, including heartbroken Tali and her mother Annie Lennox, gathered in Bensalem, Pennsylvania for a memorial service in honour of the 32-year-old, who drowned trying to save Tali's life when their boat was overturned.The funeral service, which was attended by around 300 people, included a reading of Ian's favourite scripture passage, Colossians 2:7, a sharing of memories, and performances of Imagine by Tali's sister Lola Lennox and Amazing Grace by Alex Levin.
Ian Jones and Tali Lennox were "deeply in love"
Ian's body will be cremated and his ashes taken to Yardley, Pennsylvania, his mother Sherron Jones confirmed, adding that a New York memorial service will be planned by Tali and friends.In an Instagram post last Monday, 22-year-old Tali said her heart was "shattered". She wrote, "My best friend, my soul mate, my partner in crime & creativity, the LOVE & LIGHT of my life is no longer with me. "Tali and Ian had been attending an all-night party for a friend on 8 August at the home of hotelier Andre Balazs in New York when they decided to take a two-person kayak out to a nearby lighthouse, Sherron previously confirmed to People.The trip ended in tragedy; their boat was capsized by the current, and they were separated. Ian was weighed down by his clothes fighting to reach his girlfriend of two years. It was 20 minutes before a passing boat heard her screams and she was rescued.Tali is utterly devastated. "It was nuts how deeply in love they were," Sherron revealed. "She is a wreck, she's a mess. She keeps saying she wishes Ian knew she was okay. He died for her. He died trying to save her. She wants him to know she is okay."