CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — In Champaign, a community gathered Friday night to mourn and celebrate Nathan Gudeman’s life by engaging in a hobby he cherished.
A March stabbing near South Victor and West Healey Streets claimed the 22-year-old’s life and left his 23-year-old girlfriend, Katy Lassy, in critical condition. On Friday night, loved ones congregated at Spalding Park to skateboard in Champaign as they remembered Gudeman’s life and aimed to raise awareness about the violence that took it.
“The love of my life, he was amazing,” Lassy said. “He lit up a room whenever he walked into it.”
Six weeks ago, Champaign was struck by tragedy when Gudeman was fatally stabbed. His girlfriend, Katy Lassy, who was critically injured during the attack, described Gudeman as her forever hero.
“They always say that the best flowers always get picked first, and when it comes to him, he was the best flower in the garden,” Lassy said.
On Friday, a celebration of life and a stand against violence took center stage at Spalding Park in Champaign. And it was through his love of kickflips and heelflips.
“Celebrating Nathan’s life through one of his hobbies, which was skating, he was amazing at it,” Lassy said. “All of my memories is like us going to skatepark together. So, we’re here trying to get the community together to spread a positive message.”
Andrew Valentine was a friend of Gudeman’s through their shared interest of skateboarding. He’d like to see the community continue to rally behind Gudeman in this way for years to come.
“Nathan was super cool and it’s a real tragedy we lost him, but he will never be forgotten, and he’ll always be remembered for sure,” Valentine said.
Following dinner at the park, the community held a candlelight vigil in his memory. So even in the dark of night, Gudeman can continue spreading his light.
“As a community, we face a lot of violence. Not just me and Nathan, but a lot of families have faced violence in the community, and we just really need that to stop,” Lassy said. “We need to come together as a community to start working on benefiting each other.”
Lassy said it’s her hope to bring this event back on an annual basis. She also did float the idea of fundraising to help other victims in the future.
