Editor’s note:  A memorial service will be held at St. Francis Xavier College Church in Patrick Wessel’s name on Friday, Nov. 5 at 10:30 a.m.  The date was incorrect in the print edition. The University News regrets the error.

Those that knew Patrick Wessel would not have expected for him to end up in New York City working as an aspiring model.  They were also, for the most part, taken aback by his recent death.

Wessel died on Sunday, Oct. 24 from cancer. Wessel was 25-years-old.

Having graduated from Saint Louis University in 2007–the youngest of eight siblings who are also SLU alumni–Wessel obtained a degree in entrepreneurship. Yet Wessel is not remembered for his field of study but instead for his interactions with all those around him.

Friends and loved ones of Wessel expressed that he was more than just creative, more than just determined, and more than just an average person. Wessel has been described as cultured, compassionate, accepting, unique and inspiring, amongst so many other descriptions.  Nonetheless, the above adjectives cannot seem to do justice to the unreserved emotion behind those words that were used to describe Wessel.

Few could match his creative prowess at any level and this claim, that those close to Wessel make, can be supported by Wessel’s unrelenting determination to transform what was then a struggling SLU-TV station into what it is today.  Wessel was one of three core members that helped truly form SLU-TV, but even with the shared accreditation, Wessel has been attributed to the result.

Wessel used his creative genius to incorporate many different aspects into the student organization. It was Wessel that campaigned for, and ultimately brought, live broadcasting to the SLU campus.  It is in the works to have the SLU-TV studio named after Wessel in honor of his commitments and contributions to the organization. Wessel was also an illustrator for The University News from 2006-2007.

From talks with former teachers, faculty mentors, friends and Jesuits, there seems to be one conclusion from his death: no one will ever be able to live up to the persona of Patrick Wessel.

Those who knew Wessel valued his individuality and his aura of humanistic authenticity; his unique gait and his even more eccentric hairstyles; his iconic wire-rimmed glasses and oversized coat.  Those who knew Wessel remember his smile that radiated with acceptance and warmth.  Those who knew Wessel will miss him dearly.

A memorial service at St. Francis Xavier will be held in Wessel’s name on Friday, Nov. 5 at 10:30 a.m.