Thad Hammond Owens had long red hair and an equally bright red mustache and beard, but friends say he was better known for his uplifting and humorous personality.
"He made you feel better when you were around him," said David Reed, who met Owens nine months ago when he enrolled in Reed's class. "He lived life wide open."
About 100 people attended Owens' memorial Wednesday afternoon in the Newins-Ziegler Hall breezeway to commemorate his life.
Eleven people shared anecdotes for nearly an hour about his infectious nature and the effect he had on their lives.
Owens, a 27-year-old wildlife ecology and conservation major, had a passion for music, the outdoors and people.
He caught a gator with a fishing pole, ditched class for a whole day to play the popular video game Rock Band and was an instant friend to all who met him.
"He made me believe in miracles and never in coincidences," said friend and fellow student Robert Lara. "He was always happy to help and had a laugh for everything."
Chris Wolf, fellow wildlife ecology and conservation major, told the audience of how Owens, during a class project, dubbed their group the A-Team and picked an accompanying superhero theme song.
"You just knew it was going to be a good time just 'cause he was there," Wolf said.
Robert Lay, another friend, recounted a story of when he and Owens took a class trip to the Everglades.
During the most miserable part of the trip, Owens kept the sweaty and tired group's spirits up by spouting scientific names for plants and gastrointestinal functions, along with trying to fashion a new pair of shoes for a friend who'd lost his in the mud.
"Thad was the craziest guy you'll ever meet," Lay said, laughing and crying simultaneously. "He was the best guy you'll ever meet."
Amy Brown, a Rollins College alumna who met Owens in high school, recalled how he decided to scale the outside of the Statue of Liberty during a class trip to New York City to the horror of her mother, who was chaperoning.
"Every memory with Thad is awesome," Brown said. "Each is better and better."
Owens' memorial was coordinated with a ceremony in Namibia, Africa, where he was studying abroad with UF's wildlife ecology and conservation department.
"We could all be a little more like Thad," Reed said, his voice breaking. "Live more, give more and play harder."
The Owens family has set up a fund in their son's honor through the University of Florida Foundation called the Thad H. Owens Wildlife Ecology Fund.
Owens' body was found Saturday after being swept downstream while he was swimming in the Kunene River on Thursday in Namibia, Africa.
