The fearsome Wildcat roar fell silent last week as one of Oxford’s faithful passed away suddenly.
David Richard Wendt died Saturday, February 10, 2007. He was 19 years old.
‘It’s just a tragic loss,? said Steve Laidlaw, coach of the boys varsity basketball team. ‘Everyone I talked to was stunned and just devastated.?
A 2005 graduate of OHS, Wendt played center for the varsity basketball squad during his junior and senior years.
‘Dave was an exceptional player,? said former teammate Brad Dugan, a 2006 OHS graduate. ‘I feel very privileged to have known him and been able to play by his side for four years.?
‘I know when I played with him my junior year, I definitely fed off of his talent,? said former teammate Billy Keenist, a 2006 OHS graduate. ‘He made me a better all-around player.?
Keenist said the 6-foot, 6-inch Wendt was ‘so big and so powerful? on the court that he would purposely draw opponents to him, leaving his teammates wide open to make shots.
‘I think a lot of my success was due in part to him because he drew players on him and took players off me,? he explained. ‘We kinda fed off each other in that regard.?
‘He was one of the most improved basketball players I coached,? Laidlaw said.
During his senior year in 2005, Wendt was named First Team All-League in the Flint Metro League.
Laidlaw noted that whenever he held one of his basketball youth camps for kids in grades three through six, Wendt ‘was always one of the first kids to volunteer and he just did an absolute great job.?
‘He was one of the most effective participants that I had,? the coach said.
Aside from his talents and abilities on the court, Wendt was well-liked and respected by his peers.
‘He was the kind of guy who would give you the shirt off his back,? Dugan said.
‘He was a really good-hearted person,? said former teammate Marty Ball, a 2005 OHS graduate. ‘Never mean, always nice to everybody. He was a really strong Christian.?
Whenever the coach was yelling at the team, Ball recalled Wendt could always ‘lighten the mood? or ‘ease the tension? with his ‘crazy smile.?
‘He was always somebody you could talk to,? Keenist said. ‘If you had a problem, he would always listen. He was never one to jump to conclusions.?
‘He was just the kind of person who would never make anybody feel bad. He would always try to pick you up. He was just an all-round good person,? added Keenist.
‘He was just a nice, respectful person,? Laidlaw said. ‘He was well raised by his parents.?
At the time of his passing, Wendt was a sophomore at Oakland University.
He’s survived by his parents Richard J. and Catherine Wendt Jr.; sister Victoria Wendt; grandparents Shirley and Donald Caroci, of Roscommon, and Patricia and Richard Nawrocki, of New Mexico.
Wendt’s also survived by many loving aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.
A funeral was held at Immanuel Congregational United Church of Christ on Wednesday, Feb. 14.
Funeral arrangements were handled by Lynch & Sons Funeral Directors Bossardet Chapel.
Memorials to Oxford/Orion FISH (P.O. Box 732, Lake Orion, MI 48362) are appreciated.