The line stretched to the door of Fairview Missionary Church in Angola, Ind., as people arrived to remember a Ball State student who died Saturday.
Freshman Elija Swager was found dead Saturday at an off-campus apartment. The cause of death has not been announced.
Beau Herndon, a junior at Angola High School, said everyone in the community knew Swager, and he wasn’t surprised by the number of people that showed up to the church.
Herndon said Swager was always a phone call away, even after leaving for college. If he had a problem, Herndon said he knew he could turn to Swager.
“He was never upset,” he said. “He was the life of the party.”
Herndon is planning on applying for Ball State, and he said Swager told him about the university.
Herndon’s father was Swager’s football coach in high school, and they were teammates before a leg injury forced Herndon to stop playing.
Reese Oberlin, a freshman at Davenport University, had known Swager since he was young because they lived down the road from each other.
Oberlin also played on the Angola High School rugby team and remembered Swager for his hard work and the enjoyment he brought, both on and off the field.
“He was always having fun,” he said. “Everything is fun around him and with him.”
Oberlin passed around a rugby ball today, asking former teammates to sign the ball to remember Swager’s work.
Emma Kate Fittes contributed to this story
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