UPDATED: Friday, Oct. 15, 2010:
The family of Jessica Lutton Bedient requests that memorial gifts be made to the Jessica Lutton Bedient Memorial Fund at UNF Charitable Gift Fund, a donor advised fund and subsidiary charity of the University of Nebraska Foundation. Gifts may be made online at nufoundation.org/jessica or may be made payable to UNF Charitable Gift Fund and sent to: Jessica Lutton Bedient Memorial Fund, UNF Charitable Gift Fund, 1010 Lincoln Mall Ste 300, Lincoln NE 68508. Through this fund, gifts will honor Jessica’s memory by supporting the various causes and charities that were meaningful to her.

UPDATED: Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2010:
The University of Nebraska Foundation and its family of employees are saddened by the death of friend and colleague Jessica (Lutton) Bedient on Oct. 13, 2010.

“Our hearts and prayers are with Jess’ family, her husband, Tony, and her friends during this extremely difficult time,” said Clarence Castner, president of the foundation. “Jess was a remarkable individual, a talented colleague, and she will be greatly missed by her foundation and university family.”

Jessica and her husband, Tony Bedient, were involved in a critical automobile accident on Oct. 9 in their hometown of Omaha. Tony was also injured in the accident and remains hospitalized in stable condition. The couple married on Sept. 3, 2010, in Gretna, Neb.

Jessica joined the University of Nebraska Foundation in 2008 as a development officer for the College of Business Administration at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. In 2010, she began work from the foundation’s Omaha office as director of development for the College of Public Affairs and Community Service and the College of Information Science and Technology at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

“Jess cared very much about the University of Nebraska and enjoyed meeting fellow alumni and friends of the university,” Castner said. “She had an extremely warm and engaging personality.”

Jessica is an alumna of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln where she graduated in 2006 from the College of Journalism and Mass Communications, and she was pursuing a master of business administration degree from the university.

Jessica’s parents, David and Susan Lutton of Ashland, Neb., are trustees of the University of Nebraska Foundation.

Jessica's funeral has been set for Wednesday, 10:30 a.m. at St. Patrick's church in Gretna with a lunch to follow.

Jessica's family has requested that memorials and gifts be made to: UNF Charitable Gift Fund with memo: Jessica Lutton Bedient. This will enable them to help many of the charities and causes which Jessica was so passionate about. You can also donate online at nufoundation.org/jessica.