On Ethan’s 23rd birthday, we enjoyed time with Elise and the game of Scrabble. Noah got the best word during our game… “soviet”…
We also shared lots of “Ethan stories” and his favorite birthday cake. Sweet time.
Game RePlay: Birthday Game Time
Capacity: Esports at Purdue
It has been a privilege to continue to support the Esports community that our son enjoyed during his undergraduate years (2018-2022) at Purdue University. Intensely involved as player and President for both Splatoon @ Purdue and Purdue University Battle Association (a Pokémon Draft League) during the 2021-2022 seasons, Ethan was determined to build a lasting legacy. Through his capacity to lead, collaborate with University leadership and mentor teams, Ethan brought forward improvements to better the gaming scene on campus.
During his leadership time with Splatoon @ Purdue, Ethan was purposeful to encourage student leaders and membership towards involvement in all areas of club life. The current leadership carries on that legacy as a community which encourages everyone to be involved. The Club encourages recreational through competitive play. In addition to playing the game of Splatoon 3, members are invited to take initiative toward fundraising, building membership attendance, tournament roles and overall campus community. In the video below, created by Zach Nahorski, hear from Ethan and other members on what involvement in the life of the club is all about:
Thank you to Zach Nahorski, Vice President of Splatoon @ Purdue (2022-2023), for providing this awesome video!
In the spring of 2022, excitement grew as the Club, under Ethan’s leadership as President, worked with RecWell staff to host an Intercollegiate Invitational Tournament. The tournament took place at Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN campus) vs Michigan State.
“Purdue’s match against Michigan State was the first-ever known match between official collegiate Splatoon club teams. Members of Splatoon @ Purdue hope the event and connections with other collegiate clubs will encourage more student organizations to form club teams and establish collegiate events.”
Ethan Wang, excerpt from Spring 2022 interview
with Student Life staff writer, Matt Vader
While Ethan is now no longer with us, his legacy will continue on for years to come. Jason Maynard, Sr Assistant Director of Sport Programs (RecWell) worked with Ethan to bring forward a number of institutional developments in the realm of Esports. The Boiler Game Mine, which opened November of 2022, is the completion of the vision Ethan had to provide a dedicated space for Esports teams and the gaming community on campus. We honor our sons legacy on his 23rd birthday by sponsoring this afternoons Game Pass for fellow Boilermakers and the West Lafayette community to enjoy all that Ethan envisioned it could become.
Find out more about Esports at Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN) on the Purdue University Club websites listed below:
PMU Boiler Game Mine
Info on access to the Game Mine at the Purdue Memorial Union
Splatoon @ Purdue
Join the active Discord today! https://discord.gg/uvqf62g
Battle Association of Purdue
Main Pokémon Club focusing on the Pokémon Draft League
Purdue University Rocket League
Esports at Purdue
Page is under construction, we look forward to what is coming!
JOLT-ON! 5/30-6/9/2023
23 Today…
Happy Birthday, Son. Our first without you birthday. Really unspeakable what it is to wake up to today and not have you here. All I can do is hold onto the time we had with you at your birthday last year. I am focused on eternity, taking it all to Jesus…
until I see you again.
All my love, xoxo Mom
May Fourteenth: Mom’s Day With & Without
These are my guys… Ethan (forever 22) and Noah (14 at the time). I am so glad to have been given sons. They are the joys of my life at all times. I find there are not many pictures of me with them, for I am usually the one taking the picture! In the highs and lows of motherhood, I will always be in awe of the impact they both have on my life.
“Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him.
Psalm 127:3-4
Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one’s youth.”
I tuned in to listen to a favorite podcast this morning hoping to frame this Mother’s Day. While We’re Waiting Ministry has been a lifeline for me walking through this year. I had saved Episode 43 “The Highest Form of Love” for today. Just over 5 minutes long, but just the right message I needed to face the day. I am grateful to you, Jill! You have given me courage to keep going by focusing on God’s sacrifice for us all by giving up his son Jesus so that we are able to receive His grace. Powerful!
June 8, 2022
May Thirteenth: A Graduation to Remember
Look at that smile… Today marks one year since the most beautiful day… Graduation Day at Purdue University. Ethan earned his Materials Science Engineering undergraduate degree on May 13th, 2022. I recall him dancing into Elliot Hall in the processional as the graduates took their places. The Materials Engineering Class of 2022 was a small niche group seated directly in front of the massive Mechanical Engineering section.
The excitement in the auditorium rose as the divisions were announced and students began to rise and receive their degrees. I took this shot of the big screen at that very moment when Ethan received his. Just amazing!
I recall the roar of engineers as each division was called to rise and proceed to the platform. It was just incredible. After the ceremony, we found Ethan on the lawn outside of Elliot hall near the Engineering fountain. We stood taking pictures and marveling at the beauty of the day. Then we walked down the mall one last time to Armstrong Hall to join his fellow Materials Engineering professors and graduates in further celebration of their accomplishment.
We were treated to all the energy of a Big Ten University as they celebrated the largest School of Engineering undergraduate class in history that Spring… the amazing voices of the Purdue Men’s Glee Choir and Orchestra. President Daniels keynote speech to the graduates expressed to each and every one of them the idea that they are not one dimensional. Rather, they would make their mark and continue growing and learning. He proudly stated they were “about to add another facet to their diamond that is you as you receive your degree.”
It feels sadly surreal now, one year later. At times, I find myself unable to contain the overwhelming desire I have to see Ethan carrying out his purpose in the world of materials. I am still just as proud of him as I was on graduation day… only now I await the time when heaven is brought here on this earth, resurrection day and the ceremony God has planned for the new life that is waiting. We are promised that God will redeem it. I know I will get to see Ethan use those amazing gifts… Until I see you rise… waiting for that day.
“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first..”
1 Thessalonians 4:16
May Sixth: Love of a Brother
In my last writing, you saw our boys enjoying brotherly time together. Even though Noah and Ethan are more than 7 years apart, it was beautiful to watch them grow up together. I recall remarking often how Ethan just had God’s ear. Anytime he set to praying for something, it seemed that sooner or later he had an answer… January 31st snow storm of 2011, Ethan prayed for 2ft of snow (all in the hopes of not having to head back to school so early the next day!). We woke the next morning to almost exactly that!!
There was one time even more precious than that snow storm though… it was the day Ethan determined to pray for a brother. Before age 5, we could see Ethan was ready to share life with someone else along side. December 2006, tired of waiting, Ethan wrote at the top of his Christmas list…“#1. A Brother”.
We helped him understand that God is the one who determines if he would have a sibling. We encouraged him to simply pray and trust that God would answer him. It was such an amazing gift a few months later when we learned we were expecting our second child! We tried to set expectations for Ethan. Explaining, just because God was answering his prayer, it did not mean that he would automatically receive a brother... Ethan was so confident that God was going to give him a brother though. To our delight, in November that year, Noah was born.
Our guys are true brothers! Challenging each other in just about every way. However, for all of their competition, there is a sweet bond they both share.
Both having highly creative minds, Ethan loved to take Noah’s ideas and spin them into reality. Countless lego builds, video/stop motion projects and forts were built over the years. Loving all things StarWars (Clones, droids, and every kind of battle ship), Legos and science projects, mini-golf, riding bikes, playing “shinny hockey” in the hallway or street hockey in the driveway. They were always about time together, just hanging out.
In those days together, Noah studied his older brother well. He could keep up with the quick witted teenager even before he grew to be double digits himself. They are both equally good at remembering movie lines and hilarious sayings… not to mention using them to frame moments in our days. To have two boys growing up in our home provided days full of energy and joy! At times when it is quiet, I remember the noise of my guys and think about how much Noah also needs a brother…
Thank you, Ethan, for praying for Noah…
Love you both, Mom
even more than that, for trusting God had your back in the answer!
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May Fifth… Remembering Revenge of the Sith!
“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”
Proverbs 17:17
As I mentioned yesterday, Star Wars Days in our home have always had a certain amount of creative energy. Besides saber battles in full costume, we have many fun memories of our guys replaying scenes and using movie lines to frame life in celebration. Check out how our guys figured out who was master of the Vader Force Choke way back in May 2013…
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May (the) Fourth… Be With You.
Star Wars Day. Our family has always enjoyed geeking out to everything about this beloved story. Who would have thought the 1977 original movie by George Lucas would have permeated our lives and culture to such a level as this. I recall sitting in a packed theater to watch the original movie when I was a young 7 year old girl… mesmerized by the new effects and sounds. It was exciting and loud back then.
Today is quiet though, with thoughts about how we can turn the longing to be together with Ethan into a day we can celebrate. The sentiment of “be with you” feels lost without him here to get the fun started.
While Ethan and Noah never got to see Star Wars: A New Hope on the big screen, they have enjoyed watching it on DVD at home A LOT! It is really living out scenes in their own way that proved the most fun. To see their creativity in using the story to impact others has been really amazing.
- Sharing Wookie Cookies with friends (think crazy looking oatmeal raisin cookie whoopie pies!)
- “Light” Saber battles… you know, the plastic collapsible ones from Target. Or better yet, empty wrapping paper tubes!
- Clone Costumes. Noah has enjoyed being behind the mask of a clone more times than I can remember… I know he can recall them all!
- Not to forget… Anakin and Luke costumes, cardboard box droid creations, and others! Star Wars provided our guys endless cosplay during those halloween years!
- Ethan made his own Kylo Ren costume after he was named an “Adam Driver look alike” by his high school peers for the 2016 Halloween scene. Seriously he really looked like him and we joked that maybe he should sign up to be a stunt double!
- Scene Drama, such as Vader’s “Force Choke”… yes, the two of them really did figure out how to pull this off! Noah as “young” Vader with Ethan playing Admiral Motti
- Meme’s and movie lines… favorites of all time constantly on repeat.
- Stop motion productions. Check out this fun one over on Noah‘s page!
- Cartoons (okay, really called Graphic Novels Mom!) – Star Wars The Clone Wars have become a cult following with its own story line since Ethan brought the first volume home from the library in 2008. It is a classic to pull out and read any time of year!
- Lego… Lego… Lego… We have way too much STAR WARS Lego! I believe my favorite set has to be the Sand Crawler. But good ‘ole Speeder Bike Troopers and their imaginative hovering bikes makes for awesome scene replay!
- Spare Parts Droids. Ethan and I really enjoyed making (and naming) our own Tatooine Droids out of spare Lego parts. I still have several of them hanging out on my desk to help me remember those simple days. His fav was a “vacuum-cleaner droid”.
- We cannot forget… Star Wars Trivial Pursuit! Ethan is still the all time winner (well, he had committed an entire Star Wars Encyclopedia to memory!). One such game, Ethan was the only player that answered any questions… he knew them all and won the game within just a few minutes! After that we had to start giving him “Handicaps”!
As Noah and I reflect on Star Wars Days of the past, we dream of days ahead to “be with” Ethan again… it is just not the same day as it was when he was here to bring the lore to life “with us”.
Feel free to add any of your own Star Wars Day memories.
May the 4th be with you…
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May First…
The passage of time these last eleven months has been the most difficult part of the grief journey. Waking up to today marked passage into the last month in our year of “firsts” without Ethan present in this life. Honestly, May has always been Ethan’s month: My first Mothers Day, Purdue Grad (May 13th), Birthday (May 30th).
It is all so overwhelming and terrifying. Moment by moment, I often recite the one chapter that reminds me I am not alone…
“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
Psalm 23 (NIV Holy Bible)
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
He leads me beside quiet waters,
He restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil, My cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
Loving you, son, and missing you even more profoundly than I did one minute, one day, one week, one month… 324 days ago. You are now always head of me. I rise every day with the knowledge that I am one day closer to the joy of meeting my Jesus face to face. I am squarely focused there. Only then will I see you again… praise the Lord!