David Stankiewicz was friends with everyone, from freshmen athletes he met last semester to junior theater majors who lived on his block. Many characterized him the same way: Stankiewicz was selfless, caring and happy.

“He was just like, one the most compassionate people. … He cared about everyone,” said Taylor Feldman, a friend of Stankiewicz.

Stankiewicz, a senior biology major at Syracuse University, died on Saturday. A native of Weston, Connecticut, he was a championship runner in high school and ran for SU’s men’s track and field team during his freshman and sophomore years.

Friends said they remember Stankiewicz, who was 21 and just shy of graduation, for his laugh and caring nature.

During junior year, Stankiewicz lived on South Campus a few apartments down from where Feldman’s close friend, Claire Govoni, lived. They were introduced to him through another neighbor and the group became quick friends, Feldman said.

Both Feldman, a junior musical theater major, and Govoni, a junior theater management major, said Stankiewicz was a happy, funny person who always had the biggest smile and craziest laugh. They, like his other friends, said they genuinely couldn’t think of anything bad to say about him.

“He was just a really, really good kid. I cannot say it enough, and there’s no words to even accurately describe it,” Feldman said.

They also said Stankiewicz stood apart from others because he took a vested interest in his friends’ lives. He was always worried about others and was often asking questions to learn more about other people.

One of their favorite memories of him was when they brought him to a cabaret night Feldman was performing in. Although he was tired and not very interested in music, Govoni and Feldman said Stankiewicz was supportive and wanted to know when the next event was.

“He had such an enthusiasm about anything and everything his friends were passionate about,” Govoni said.

Patrick Pondo, another close friend of Stankiewicz, also described Stankiewicz as a selfless person who made friends instantly.

“He was able to engage his friends and strangers and just bring people together to have fun,” Pondo, a junior finance major, said in an email. “I’ve never met another person with such a vibrant personality and such a way with people in general.”

A post shared by Candace Walsh (@dace.grace) on Mar 25, 2017 at 1:21pm PDT

SU students Hannah Volpe, Erica Beaudry and Candace Walsh all echoed Pondo’s feelings, even though they knew Stankiewicz for less than a year. Walsh and Beaudry, who were friends with Volpe, lived across the hall from him in Haven Hall.

The three students said they felt like they knew Stankiewicz for years. They all were on the intramural soccer team that Stankiewicz coached.

“He was just very, very friendly,” Beaudry, a communication and rhetorical studies said. “We would walk into each other’s rooms without knocking, like we had known each other forever. We got close so fast — I don’t really know how, but we just did.”

Beaudry said Stankiewicz and his roommates were like brothers to her and the other women and were always there to answer questions and help them out. She said any day she didn’t spend in their apartment was a weird day.

All three also highlighted that Stankiewicz was selfless. Volpe, whose major is undecided, remembered how he went to Kimmel to get her saltines when she was sick last semester.

“He always put other people before him, and I think anyone would want to be friends with someone like that,” Volpe said.

Published on March 29, 2017 at 10:41 pm

Contact Delaney: dovanwey@syr.edu