Family honoring 27-year-old Fall River born man who passed away; was as intelligent as he was kind

A man who was as smart as he was kind is being honored by his family with some help from the public.

27-year-old Ian Davis Huntress passed away on March 26, 2023.

Born on May 26, 1995, in Fall River, Huntress had a brilliant and inquisitive mind from a young age. Ian graduated as Salutatorian of the Joseph Case High School Class of 2013. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Bioinformatics and Molecular Biology from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, in 2017. Ian was pursuing a Ph.D. in Bioinformatics at North Carolina State University while working in Dr. Xinxia Peng’s lab, a place he affectionately called “Pengtown.” He was a dedicated researcher and co-author on several scientific journal articles. Known for his sharp intellect and unique way with words, Ian brought curiosity, creativity, and warmth to everything he did.

Ian was diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis, which led to a liver transplant in January 2023. He later developed Post-Transplant Lymphoproliferative Disease, and despite the best efforts of his medical team, he passed away from transplant-related complications.

His family has created the Dr. Ian Huntress Memorial scholarship in his memory. The goal of this scholarship is to support a student who is similarly driven to apply scientific rigor to emerging problems in health care and related fields.

The family hopes that the scholarship can be sustained for all future classes.

If you have interest in donating to the scholarship fund, click here.