Student remembered for reaching out to others
>>Print ViewPublication Date: 12/04/2008
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While doing mission work in Bolivia, Elliot Brumm was nicknamed "Fuego" by the children he played with due to his curly red hair.
The humanitarian trips were through his church, Lake Forest Church, in his hometown in North Carolina. It was during these trips that Brumm, a sophomore in the College of Consumer and Family Sciences, reached out to others who needed a friend.
Brumm, who was 19, died in a car wreck around 4 a.m. on Saturday in Cornelius, N.C., while he was driving home with two of his friends. The cause of the accident is still being investigated.
Brumm and his friends, who are also Purdue students, were within a mile of Brumm's home. Both of Brumm's passengers were injured. One remains in the hospital and the other was released with a broken wrist and concussion. They were visiting Brumm's family for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Despite the sudden loss, Brumm's friends and family came together Tuesday afternoon to honor his life.
The Rev. Mike Moses of Lake Forest Church said about 800 people gathered to acknowledge the shock of Brumm's death and to celebrate his life.
"He lived life like his hair was on fire," Moses said. "He just consumed life."
After Moses gave his sermon, which asked listeners to not focus on why Brumm died but on the things we know, many people stood up and shared stories. One friend talked about a time when a prospective freshman came to visit Purdue and stayed with Brumm. It was a weekend where many people went home, so there was not much to do. But to make things interesting, Brumm dressed up in a gorilla suit to take the prospective student on a tour of campus.
Following the friends who spoke, Brumm's father, Steve, had the courage to stand up and talk. Steve said he is thankful for the 19 years he spent with Brumm. Even though friends and family are questioning why Brumm's death wasn't prevented, Steve said God prevented it many times before.
"We loved him. He was such a good friend, such a good son, brother," Steve said. "He lived every day like it was a gift."
To honor Brumm's style of enjoying each day of life, the church band played the song "Everyday" by the Dave Matthews Band, which was one of Brumm's favorite artists.
"He was just one of those kids that was always doing stuff," Steve said. "He was always playing guitar."
And not only will Brumm's family and friends keep his memory close in their heart, so will the children he spent time with at the orphanage in Bolivia.
"(Brumm) played with the kids and that's what they needed," Steve said. "He would always go find the kid that would be standing by himself and go get him and play with him, and that little kid would just be laughing. That's how I'll remember him."