Family and friends gathered to celebrate the life of Jordan Thorne.
Students, family and friends gathered around the Eternal Flame Tuesday to celebrate the life of Jordan Thorne and his contributions to the campus community.
Many friends spoke about how Thorne touched their lives in such a short time at FAMU. Students and friends at the vigil said they plan to live their lives in a way that would honor Thorne’s memory.
Thorne's Grandmother comforted by FAMU students.
Thorne, 20 and a native of Jacksonville, was a sophomore in the College of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities. He died on Sept. 2, from injuries sustained in a car accident.
“The vigil served as an opportunity for the community and student body to unite and celebrate the life of Jordan and honor the impact he made during his twenty years here,” said former student senator Jeremiah Carter.
FAMU student Terrell Nelson opened the service with comforting words, followed by a heart-felt prayer by Taylar Hall.
Thorne was a trailblazer and touched the lives of many people with his gregarious personality and sarcastic comebacks.
“Jordan was everyone’s friend. He was kind, caring, generous and patient. He taught me how to be patient and to not give up on things I wanted most in life,” said sophomore English major Elisia Howard. “Jordan taught me that life is a celebration. So today, we celebrate Jordan and his legacy.”
Howard was a close friend of Thorne’s and is also heartbroken by the tragedy.
The vigil drew a significant turnout. Among the attendees was Thorne’s great-uncle Dale Landry, who remembered Thorne’s life and personality.
“Jordan was so quiet and you never knew his demeanor,” said Landry. “Then I found out Jordan was skydiving, scuba diving and had two belts in taekwondo. He was so adventurous.”
Thorne was a diver and had one more dive to complete before becoming a certified diver. In respect to him, his ashes will be “placed in a Himalayan salt urn and taken to the bottom of the ocean,” Landy added, “then the salt block will decompose overtime and his ashes will release into the ocean.”
After this dive, Thorne’s family will be granted his certification as a diver.
Although Thorne enjoyed being daring, he always found time to help the community. His friend and 48th Senate President Rochard Moricette remembered him as being “true to the community.”
“He was so in-tune with the community. He loved to give back and was selfless,” said Moricette. “There is a scholarship in his name to help sons of single mothers pursue a degree or technical college degree in his hometown.”
Thorne’s giving will continue for the rest of his life through a scholarship sponsored by the I’m A Star Foundation.
Many friends spoke about how Thorne touched their lives in such a short period of while at FAMU. Family and friends at the vigil said they plan to live their lives in a way that would honor Thorne’s memory.
“Jordan had the power to touch everyone he met. He was my brother,” said Matthew Stokes, a friend and FAMU student. “I’ll never forget him and I will make him proud.”
At the closing of the ceremony, each of Thorne’s loved ones held a burning candle to represent his life. At the end of a prayer, each candle was blown out and a moment of silence was held in remembrance of him.