On the afternoon of Thursday, Feb. 18, Colin Wolf, a young man and student here at Virginia Wesleyan University, took his own life.
Since this tragic event, the campus community has responded in mourning the loss and celebrating the life of Colin. Through gatherings, a prayer walk, and a memorial service, the Marlin community has shown an outpouring of support for Colin and his loved ones.
The Marlin Chronicle dedicates this section to the life and memories of Colin Patrick Wolf. Please take the time to read the words his family and friends expressed for him here.
“He would stop his own world just to keep others’ worlds spinning.”
“Colin was many things to many different people, but to me, he was my partner in crime. Ever since we first met freshman year, it was clear that we would be making big changes at VWU. We couldn’t always see each other, but whenever we were together we made the most of our time. He was one of the most supportive people I ever had the privilege of meeting. He always backed me up, conversed with me, and made my days brighter. He always went along with my horrible jokes, especially when I would tell him that he was ‘India-phobic’. He was a part of making me the person everyone knows me as today. I would have never gotten this far without him and his unwavering support. He’ll be my VP forever and always.” – India Khanna
“Even though I wasn’t a really close friend of his, I still considered him someone I looked up to and admired. I came to Wesleyan from a school where I had no LGBT+ allies on my side and thought my experience here would be the same. Though when I first met him at my first Spectrum meeting, that changed. He was so funny and so caring, that I genuinely felt like I had someone on my side now. Even when I was having bad days of my own, he would still say hello to me in the halls. He’s done so much for not just Spectrum, but for the school. And I hope that his family can be at peace knowing just how many lives he’s touched, including mine.” – Carter Bernaquez
“He was a truly kind young man who believed in equality in his soul, and the ability to make friends with everyone he met. My ask for the community as a whole is to watch out for each other and check in with their family and friends and ask the hard questions. The world is an increasingly hard and complicated place, and not everyone asks for help or lets the world know they need help. Love each other, help each other, fight for each other so everyone can make it through.” -Mike Wolf, Uncle
“I lived one door down from him and shared a kitchen and a bathroom with him for a semester and a half. My heart aches for his parents and friends and every day since last Thursday I have asked myself why didn’t I see something, what if I went out of my way to talk to him. What if I could have helped. I kept having this scenario play over and over in my head where I saw his parents and I just went up and hugged his mother. I cannot imagine anyone else who needs a hug more than she does. I am beyond sorry for their loss and I will never forget him.” -Zach Hope
“The only thing I really want to share is how helpful Colin was and how caring he was to his friends and everyone else he met. He always would put his life on hold to help someone else.” -Kimberly DeHart
Wolf was a senior studying psychology aspiring to enter the mental health field. The Colin Wolf Foundation was established to continue Colin’s passions such as LGBTQ+ rights, mental health, suicide prevention, homeless care, and education access.
Please consider providing support to the Colin Wolf Foundation at the following link: https://gofund.me/dcbac61d