BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — An entire student body is mourning and a community is remembering the life of Bowling Green State University student Stone Foltz.
The 20-year-old sophomore was remembered during a ceremony on Sunday evening at Doyt L. Perry Stadium.
Foltz died March 7, days after an alleged hazing incident involving alcohol that occurred at a Pi Kappa Alpha off-campus event on March 4.
Close friends offered their memories and remarks about who Foltz was as a person.
"Stone was the sweetest person you'd ever meet and he had the biggest heart," said friend Megan Adams. "He cared for others so deeply."
Dozens came together to remember one of their own, a fellow student to some, friend to others and to many, a piece of their lives.
Complete Stone Foltz Memorial
Foltz was laid to rest on Saturday but his Bowling Green family got a chance to celebrate him.
"I was fortunate enough to experience Stone's limitless love," said Foltz's girlfriend Maddy Borja.
She shared several personal memories of their time together on campus, hanging out at events and in the dorms.
"We were walking back to the dorm and I couldn't walk in my heels because of the ice," she said, "and he put me on his back and hiked me all the way back to my dorm, so I wouldn't have to step into the snow."
Adams, Maddy's roommate and Stone's friend, says Stone was one of kind and always put others before himself. She says he was inspirational like a Pinterest board.
"We can spread positivity instead of negativity," Adams said, "and open our hearts to those around us. I think the world would be a better place if we all lived like Stone."
A moment of silence was illuminated with candles and the lights of everyone's cell phones.
Jaelyn Gray, a close friend of Stone and his family says he was the most generous and caring person and the best big brother to his siblings. She read a statement from Stone's mom urging the students to come together and be the change.
"We need to be here for each other," she said. "This is not easy, change is not easy. Peer pressure is real and so is hazing. Sadly, it happens more than we can ever imagine."
And BGSU president Rodney Rogers declined to talk to media afterward but did say actions are being taken to address this and offered strong words toward that goal.
"We must now ensure that we are never in this situation again," he said.
Friends say Stone was lost too soon but he'll always be a rock to lean on and an example who will never be forgotten.
B.G.S.U. released a statement about the service on Sunday. It read:
“The Bowling Green State University community gathered on Sunday to honor the life of student Stone Foltz. We share in the deep sadness and offer heartfelt condolences to Stone’s family and friends. Sunday’s memorial was a testament to who Stone was as a person, student and friend and also to the impact this tragedy has had on BGSU. Stone was kind, selfless, resilient and full of life. It is with deepest sympathy that the University’s message to our community is that now more than ever we need to be there for one another. Sunday was about Stone Foltz. His life will not just be defined by who he was or how he made others feel, but by the positive actions that come from this tragedy, and that starts with each one of us.”
