Ian Hassett

10/24/1992 - 06/13/2012

Ian Hassett
Ian arrived on time - October 24, 1992. After that he did everything early from walking & talking to playing the piano & drawing, as well as leaving us much too soon on June 13, 2012, at the age of 19. He is now healed and in the presence of our Heavenly Father. Ian was an intelligent, witty, talented artist and a gifted musician; we will never know how much he could have accomplished, but will treasure the art, music and memories he left behind.
He was born Ian MacDonald Hassett to Eric & Stefanie Hassett, joining his older brother Alex and sister Amy to make their family of five complete. He excelled in school and began playing piano at the age of 8. At Orcutt Junior High he developed an interest in art and his first painting was chosen for the local student art show - after that there was no stopping him. He continued to fine tune his talents at Righetti High School and Allan Hancock College and enjoyed studying at the UCLA Summer Institute for Art. In 2011, Ian was thrilled to receive the Santa Maria Arts Council First Place Award in Visual Arts. Though these talents brought him much joy, Ian's greatest pleasure was spending time with his friends.
Ian's kindness was one attribute that always shined. He displayed this early when, at the age of 6, he 'freed' the worms his dad had bought as bait on a fishing trip. At the end of his life, he became concerned with how his death would affect the people he would leave behind. We'd like to share with you Ian's final message to everyone:
I want to say thank you to all the doctors who helped to treat me to the best of their abilities, especially my oncologist Dr. Brian DiCarlo, who was with me the entire journey. I thank all the nurses and assistant staff in every practice, lab and hospital I visited. I thank every phlebotomist who had the skill to puncture the vein on the first try. I thank all of the strangers (mostly from my parents' church) who sent me cards and sent dinners to our house when we were too exhausted to think about cooking. I thank my friends, who make me laugh so much, who I care about deeply and who made me feel like myself- before the cancer. And most of all, I thank my family, who has showered me with love and given me hope and has never given up on me. I've needed them more than anyone; they were constant companions and made this process so much more bearable. I could share a little load off of my back and onto theirs, and for that I will love them forever (which isn't that long... oh well).
I feel at peace and I feel ready. Death doesn't scare me anymore, but I am afraid of the sadness I will leave behind me. Please be comforted by the fact that I have enjoyed the short life I lived, and that I am not sad to die.
Besides his immediate family, Ian leaves behind his grandparents, Gordon & Barbara Smith (Santa Maria), his Lola, Celi Hassett (Simi Valley), numerous aunts, uncles and cousins who loved him deeply and many friends who are a testament to his impact on those around him. Our lives have been forever touched by Ian and we will miss him every day.
A private graveside service with be held at Oak Hill Cemetery in Ballard with a public Celebration of Ian's Life at Grace Baptist Church, 605 E. McCoy Ln, Santa Maria on June 30th at 11am. We hope you will join us in celebrating the impact Ian had in our lives.
Arrangements are under the direction of Dudley-Hoffman Mortuary, Crematory and Memory Garden.

Dudley-Hoffman
Mortuary & Crematory
(805) 922-8463
www.dudleyhoffmanmortuary.com