Killed Boston University Student Wrote Own Obituary
Boston, MA – Here’s an eerie piece of news. A Boston University student wrote his own obituary for a class assignment before he was struck by a vehicle and killed Thursday, reports the AP.
Christopher Weigl, a Boston University graduate student, was killed on his way to class after being struck by a truck while riding his bicycle. In his obituary, turned in as a class assignment, he discussed the pivotal moment in his life when he decided that he wanted to become a photojournalist.
The 23-year-old also wrote about his love of music and the outdoors. His professor for the class called him “the ideal student: smart, mature, curious.”
Here’s Weigl’s obituary, printed by the Boston Globe:
Lifelong Massachusetts resident and Boston University graduate student Christopher Weigl, 22, passed away September 5 after protracted complications stemming from obituary writing.
Christopher was born in Framingham and lived most of his life in Southborough. An avid outdoorsman, Christopher obtained the rank of Eagle Scout at age 14 and remained an active member of Boy Scout Troop 1 till his 18th birthday.
In addition to scouting, Christopher was an accomplished clarinet player throughout his years of schooling, and played in a variety of ensembles including the Central District Band and Orchestra, MetroWest Youth Symphony Orchestra, and Worcester Youth Symphony Orchestra.
After graduating from Worcester Academy in 2007, Christopher matriculated at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Although eventually deciding upon a bachelor’s in English, photography supplanted music as the central passion of Christopher’s life, and he could often be found shooting campus events for the student paper or the school’s communications department.
By graduation, Christopher had served as Photography Club president as well as photography editor of the Skidmore News. These pursuits were in addition to internships with Panorama Magazine, Emma Dodge Hanson Photography, and KCK Photography, as well as a semester abroad in Florence to take more specialized photography classes.
After graduation, Christopher indulged his love of travel by embarking on a six-week trip through Operation Groundswell, a voluntourism organization, to find a story and do service projects in Cambodia and Thailand. It was on the little Cambodian island of Koh Rong, where he interviewed locals and uncovered a government takeover of the island, that Christopher found a story and cemented his love for photojournalism. The experience in Southeast Asia seeded the first thoughts of graduate school, and after a year of working at Ritz Camera, driving limousines, building a photography business, and freelance reporting for the weekly Community Advocate, Christopher moved to Brighton to attend BU’s photojournalism masters program.
Christopher leaves his parents, Bonnie and Andy Weigl, his brother Dustin, and cat Ivy.
Please keep Christopher Weigl, a fellow @bucomgrad who was tragically killed in a bike accident this morning, in your thoughts and prayers.
— Julie Donovan (@Julie_Donovan) December 6, 2012
Sad to report the student killed in this morning’s bike accident was #BU graduate student Christopher Weigl: bit.ly/RbFxHv
— Boston University (@BU_Tweets) December 6, 2012
Our condolences to family and friends of Christopher Weigl. From reading his own words, it is clear he was taken before his time.
Have you ever written an obituary for yourself?
