Friends remember lives of two Purdue students

By Vanessa Renderman
Special Projects Editor

What was supposed to be a Super Bowl party Sunday night turned into a time for students to mourn the loss of two friends.

Friends of Matt Cahill and Jake Cushman, two Purdue men who died in a car accident Friday night, say they'll miss Cahill and Cushman, but knowing the two are in heaven gives them a sense of peace.

"There's this hope in Jesus that goes beyond death — there's life after death. That's the message Matt portrayed. Even in a tragedy like this, there is hope," said Cory Nickols, a junior in the School of Agriculture and friend of Cahill and Cushman.

Cahill, a senior in the Schools of Engineering, was the Matt of the "Do You Agree With Matt?" campaign last October. Members of Campus Crusade for Christ wore lime green T-shirts that read "I Agree With Matt," and they covered campus with fliers asking the mysterious question, "Do You Agree With Matt?"

In the end, Cahill revealed the mystery by giving a speech about how Jesus Christ became the center of his life.

"He was one who felt his relationship with Christ was probably more important than what people thought of him," said Carl Clayton, campus director of Campus Crusade for Christ.

Both Cahill and Cushman, who was a sophomore in the School of Liberal Arts, had a genuine love for God, friends say. Cushman expressed his love through music. He played guitar in a Christian rock band and went on tour in Germany through a program sponsored by Campus Crusade.

His sister Tyler Cushman-Wells said Cushman loved to play guitar and write music. "He'd play every day after school for hours and hours," she said.

She said Cushman enjoyed being in Germany for the summer because he spoke German fluently and could talk to the people after a show.

Craig Nickols said Cushman was a talented guitar player but didn't act like he was better than everyone else. "Jake went out of his way to help others," he said. "He was really down-to-earth, the coolest guy to talk to."

Cushman-Wells said Cushman was also a huge Star Wars fan. But everything wasn't always Star Wars and hard rock music. Friends call both men beautiful and joyful.

Kevin McKinney, a recent Purdue graduate and friend of Cahill and Cushman, said that in death, both will keep living for God.

"I know that Cahill would want everybody to know that what he was trying to tell everyone on that campus was true, and whether they agree with him or not doesn't take away from that at all," McKinney said.

"Everyone has to know that what happened to him was totally, totally God's plan," he said.

Michele Martin, a junior in the School of Liberal Arts, knew both of the men well.

"They were two amazing men who did everything in their lives for Jesus," she said. "Matt Cahill is one of the most amazing men I've ever met in my entire life; he was like a big brother to me. God had changed his life and he wanted people to know.

"It's hard because I love them and they're gone, but I have this peace that they're with God," she said.

Cahill had a fun-loving side too, said Brian Evans, a senior in the Schools of Engineering and friend of Cahill and Cushman.

"It was amazing how we could jump from being in a deep, serious conversation to just being crazy and having fun," Evans said.

Through the grieving process, friends and members of Campus Crusade for Christ have met with one another and with the men's families to comfort them.

Most of their friends were hanging out at an apartment after the Campus Crusade for Christ meeting on Friday when they found out their friends had died in a car accident. They got together the next morning to pray and then drove to comfort the families.

Bart Shaw, a senior in the School of Liberal Arts and a friend of Cahill and Cushman, said it was amazing to watch them grow in their faith. "It's been cool to be able to rejoice now that (Cahill) is gone," he said. "He wouldn't want it any other way."

Many friends quoted a Bible verse that reads, "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain."

The love the men shared with others was on a different level, said Evans. "We had fun together and they loved all of us so sincerely; it's not a love that you see in this world; it's a love that comes from God," he said.

From the mourning comes joy as well.

"I'm grieving because my brothers are gone, but I'm rejoicing because they're in a much better place," said Cory Nickols.

• The funeral for Cahill is at 10 a.m. today at Cicero Christian Church in Cicero, Ind. The visitation for Cushman will be Wednesday from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. and from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. at the Thoma-Rich Funeral Home in Bluffton, Ind. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at Hope Missionary Church in Bluffton.

Purdue offers resources to help students grieve

Friends remember lives of two Purdue students

Purdue offers resources to help students grieve

Provost candidate talks about future

CAMPUS DESK PHONE:
(765) 743-1111 ext. 253

Campus editor: Laura Pelner

Assistant campus editors: Kurt Esposito, Dave Stephens

To send a letter to the editor, please email opinions@purdueexponent.org