Campus is mourning the loss of Luke Terranova, a junior elementary education major from Machesney Park, Illinois. He passed away on Oct. 22 in his off-campus residence.
“The first words I could say about you yesterday when they asked were ‘generous, extremely generous,’” Luke’s housemate and good friend Meghan Anderson wrote in a post on Tuesday. “You loved fully. You took chances. You made my heart feel warm as a baked potato.”
Luke was a member of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity and worked for the Bradley Fund.
“I remember when Luke first joined as a freshman; we were having a conversation about chocolate bars and kept talking about how we thought ‘nougat’ was a funny word,” said Vinny Dellaria, a member of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity who graduated from Bradley last May.
“Ever since then, I always called him Nougat and it just always stuck with him. I even have him in my phone as Luke ‘Nougat’ Terranova,” Dellaria said. “I realize now that the word has so much more meaning because he was sweeter than any nougat-filled chocolate bar will ever be. I will always remember him and keep my memories with him close to my heart.”
Sophomore nursing major Alex Cipriani, Luke’s student supervisor at the Bradley Fund, said he was a great caller and a cheerful addition to the office.
“[Terranova] always walked into the office with a smile on his face. He brought positive energy to the shifts,” Cipriani said. “He was once our ‘caller of the week,’ which is a great accomplishment for a first semester caller.”
Anderson, a senior public memories with Luke in her post on Tuesday. relations major, also shared her
“I’ll never forget our nights watching the same episodes of the same kid shows over and over again, the miles we walked to see Christopher Robin in theaters because we hate driving, the times we stopped mid-way home to eat our pizza because we just couldn’t wait any longer,” she wrote. “I dragged you along with me and signed you up for a million things you never wanted to do, but you were always there, only slightly begrudgingly. We had plans to run a catering company together, plans to get you a Swedish Chef tattoo, plans for the four of us to live together forever.”
Bradley University president Gary Roberts sent out a campus-wide email on Monday, informing campus about Luke’s death.
“Our hearts go out to his family and friends. He was a vibrant young man who will be missed by all,” Roberts wrote in the email. “Bradley flags on campus will fly at half-staff for three days to honor his memory.”
The counseling center extended walk-in hours for students, faculty and staff in Markin Recreation Center room 52. Counseling services can also be reached at 309-677-2700.
The visitation for Luke will be this afternoon from 4-9 p.m. at Fitzgerald Funeral Home in Rockford. A rosary will conclude the visitation at 8:30 p.m. There will also be a campus memorial for Luke on Wednesday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. in Michel Student Center Ballroom.
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