When there's a Will, there's Awoe 🕊️

When I hit critical junctions and transition to new phases, such as graduating high school or college, I often wonder about how life will change. I wonder who will stay or go and who will enter my life. Of course, this flux is never anyone’s fault except that life happens. For example, when I graduated high school, I wanted to maintain a relationship with my peers — people with whom I spent those formative high school years. However, life challenges make this feel like an impossible task with each passing year, resulting in the sporadic "Happy Birthday" messages, the occasional Facebook like or comment, or even a "Congrats" on LinkedIn.

When there’s a will, there’s a way.

My friend Will Marsheck always made this seemingly impossible task of staying connected feel easy. As we grew up past high school, Will consistently reached out – checking in on me and my family. I knew that whenever we were both home, I could expect a get-together.

Last week, Will passed away. The world lost a good man, and I lost a friend. From our gym sessions in high school to my 21st birthday party, I want to share a few memories or moments in a way that will remain — with words.

1. We sat next to each other in several classes in high school because our last names were similar (Mau and Mar). In AP Language, during our junior year of high school, we were supposed to read The Great Gatsby; however, Will had only watched the movie. He commented on the book, and Ms. Hedrick swiftly shut him down, saying, “that was only in the movie version.” So I sat there next to him, chuckling with my head down while simultaneously feeling scared shitless of embarrassing myself because I had also only watched the movie.
2. Every year, I host a "Breakfast for Dinner" party where everyone brings a breakfast meal for dinner. Will and Mandy were the bacon people. After several fire alarms following failed attempts at balancing bacon, eggs, and pancakes on my tiny stove, Mandy started bringing her famous microwavable bacon kit, and Will would bring the bacon (see text message image below). Every year since, he spent the first hour always next to the microwave managing the bacon, catching up with anyone in his vicinity.

1. Will and I would lift at Merritt during the summer or after school when we didn’t have sports practices. We always started on the treadmill or elliptical before making our way to the squat rack, where he’d try to show me how to do something he learned from wrestling or lacrosse. During our senior year, we spent most of our time talking about our girlfriends at the time and how we’d navigate various situations that arose. Will unintentionally taught me how to genuinely listen.
2. We once spent some 12 hours playing video games and eating pizza on a Saturday during our senior year in high school. From Call of Duty Zombies to FIFA, Will, Aaron, Bibek, and I felt free from school responsibilities.
3. Following Will’s first year at Grove City, we caught up at Silver Moon diner, where he opened up about switching majors and figuring out his career path as he got ready for a summer internship in New York City. He shared the joys of living near his older sister in college. We spoke heavily about our roles as brothers in our families and how we needed to be there for our siblings, especially as we got older.
4. I hosted a party for my 21st birthday with the intention of having my Hopkins friends attend. However, with Will transferring to Towson University and texting me about my birthday and Avengers Endgame all week, I invited him. The day of, he texted saying he had a big assignment (see screenshot below), but he’d try his best to make it.

Twelve hours later, at 10 pm, there he was celebrating my night with me. While I don’t exactly remember the details from that night, I remember him helping me back to my apartment and hanging out well into the night after everyone else headed home.

That last story represented Will, someone who always gave his best for his friends. It breaks my heart knowing he isn’t here with us anymore. I can only imagine what his family is going through. I hope to keep you alive in our hearts with these memories (words, pictures, text messages). I’m sorry we had to say goodbye so soon.

Love you, man,
Awoe

Here are some pictures from our end of year Breakfast for Dinner Celebrations over the years. Try to spot Will in all of them: