The three individuals who passed this week loved and were loved. That is a direct result from their kind spirits, which are still alive and well. They will always support the Bradley community and everyone they came in contact with. Although I did not have a chance to get to know Dr. Susan Brill de Ramirez well, both men impacted my life greatly.
Luke Terranova tore it up. His laugh was contagious. He brightened my day. I work at the Bradley Fund and he was my best buddy there. I always had hilarious conversations with him.
I saved him a seat each Monday night for the 6 to 9 p.m. shift. He was a first semester caller and although I am only in my second semester working there, I feel as though I showed him the ropes of fundraising. He soon surpassed me in dollars raised though. His positivity is the clear driver of this.
I believe he surpassed us all in expressing joy, being a kind person and simply doing what we all must: supporting others. He lived for the people around him. I learned how to be a more responsible man through my time with him.
The last shift we worked alongside each other we texted gifs back and forth and played iMessage games. I let him use my phone charger and he charged my life that night.
He cared about everyone he knew. He convinced me to go out of my comfort zone and live life to the fullest. To me, he was a role model. I always joked that he tore it up (being popular and joyous).
Now that he is gone, I plan to tear it up in his honor. It will be different at the Bradley Fund without my strong willed fellow, but I hope to still save him a seat as his spirit and legacy will live on.
Luke was with it in the sense that he loved the New England Patriots. They will honor his legacy by winning the Super Bowl at season’s end.
He loved and helped others love themselves. Although he may not have loved himself fully, I believe he knows I loved him among many others.
I met Antonio (Tony) Ramirez Barron and his wife Susan at the Interfaith Collaborative dinner last Spring. They seemed nice to me and interested in other faiths and beliefs. I am happy they came to experience the peace that filled the Garrett Center in early March. They were quite possibly the most humble family I have ever known.
Tony was the humblest. He was soft spoken and supportive. He asked great probing questions to get others speaking. His mustache seemed to expand when he talked.
From that day forward I only saw Tony a few times. I never made plans with him, but when we would run into each other on campus we would speak for a few minutes about random things going on in the world as a whole. He seemed active spiritually. He loved helping others and was the mastermind behind Sakai.
Sakai is a rock in my academic life. He was a rock for the university and my heart. He cared and wanted to help others. I believe that was his life goal and to me he accomplished it.
