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Grand View University freshman Will Penamon passed away in his home in Independence, Missouri, on Monday, April 4. He was a beloved student, athlete, friend and son.

Memories of Will

Men’s basketball coach Denis Schaefer said he enjoyed the little time he had coaching Will. Will always worked hard during practices and games and was known as one of the perfectionists on the team. Basketball was his passion, so when he thought something could be better, he would put in hours at the gym until he got it right. Schaefer also said he loved how competitive and motivated Will was as an athlete and a student.

“He was an extremely hard-nosed competitor,” Schaefer said. “He was small in stature but large in heart.”

Will’s team mates loved his passion for the game and his dedication to basketball and those he loved.

“He was the littlest one on the court, but he played with so much heart,” teammate Chase Mullin said.

Off the court, Will was known for his sense of humor. Schaefer said he and others on the basketball team had an ongoing joke about Will’s old Jaguar. The car had a dent and would often stop working. Schaefer often teased him about it, saying, “Will, if you’re going to have a Jaguar, you have to have two. One that is always going to be in the shop and one to drive.”

Will never took this joke seriously and would defend his Jaguar by fixing it up as fast as he could and showing it off to the team again.

Schaefer said one of his favorite things about Will was his openness. Will would come into his office every once in awhile just to visit and tell the coach what was happening in his life.

“He would pour his heart out to me about what was going on,” Schaefer said. “It’s hard to find kids that do that.”

Another uncommon quality Will possessed was his giving attitude. Schaefer said he always looked out for his classmates, teammates and coaches. He would push them to be the best they could because he cared about them and wanted to see them be successful.

One simple example of this was that Will had a friend whom he woke up for his 8 a.m. class every morning.

“This speaks to who Will was as a teammate,” Schaefer said. “And I think it speaks to him in general, just how he wanted other people to do well.”

Dealing with the grief of loss

Everyone handles death in a different way, and students might find that they need help coping with Will’s passing. Kent Schornack, director of counseling, said that with death comes a lot of mixed feelings.

“People feel confusion,” Shornack said. “People feel angry. People feel scared. People feel sadness. But all of those feelings are normal.”

No matter what they’re feeling, Shornack said, students are never alone when events like this happen. Talking to friends, counselors, teachers or any trustworthy person can be helpful.

“Seek out other people who are also grieving or also impacted by the same thing,” said Alex Krumm of Student Ministries. “Whenever people can gather together to grieve and cope together, there is a real powerful community impact that happens.”

For anyone who is wanting to speak with someone regarding Will’s death or the loss of any loved one, Shornack; Kenlyn Gordon, assistant director of counseling; Krumm and Pastor Russ Lackey are always happy to sit down and talk with students.