My friend Wade died on Wednesday. The sadness overtook me as I heard the news, as I didn’t know what to do or how to feel. This is the closest death has ever come, and my heart continued to break.
Even though Wade’s passing is truly dark and painful, I don’t want to use this article to tell you how it broke my friends and me apart trying to figure out why this would happen, or how it could happen to him. I want to utilize my passion for writing to immortalize the amazing person that Wade was. He influenced a lot of people with his personality and his positivity, and I want this piece to be a tribute to that.
I first met Wade at a choir festival at his high school. This wasn’t any old choir festival though. It was Regionals. For those of you that don’t know about choir kids and their choir festivals, the best way to describe it is 100 people in one room bouncing off of each other’s talent, energy and positivity. It is an incredible way to grow as a musician and to make new friends, and I will never forget the memories we all made that year as we produced music that was truly magical for the audience and for us.
I was first officially introduced to Wade a few months later when one of my very close friends started dating him, and I started to see for myself the energy and the optimism that he brought to everything. He was talented in sports and in music, and he had a way of always lighting up the room.
One night, my friends and I went to see our choir friends and Wade in their last performance of the year at their high school. The performance was incredible and I was so proud of my talented friends. To celebrate, we drove over to Mellow Mushroom where we bombarded the restaurant with more than 30 rowdy teenagers that were highly anticipating pretzels and beer cheese (at least that’s what I wanted). Everyone was so happy that night. The energy consistently added as the hour grew later. Get a bunch of choir kids together and there’s no stopping them, even with another show the next day!
Wade kindly drove my friends and me on the long trek home, where we shared random stories and lots of laughs that I wish I could remember now. The only thing I remember was how welcoming he was, how funny his remarks were and how positive energy radiated off of him.
I can never thank Wade enough for all that he did for his girlfriend (also a very close friend of mine). Wade seemed to be something in her life that was always positive, always encouraging, always welcoming. I’ll never forget the smiles on their faces growing bigger as the time they spent together grew.
This is a tribute to a dear friend that we all love and miss very much. Your optimism runs within us all and will never be forgotten. I plan to honor your life by living each day to the fullest and treating every challenge as an adventure. Each day is a gift and should not be taken for granted.
God gained another angel.
