Tears were falling like stones; you could hear them hitting the ground and breaking into pieces. Everybody was staring at the floor, as if they could find answers to their prayers right there. 

“O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder/ Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made/ I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder/ Thy power through the universe displayed.” 

In the first verse of “How Great Thou Art,” you could hear the voices full of despair from students and families, everybody joined by the same feeling, singing the same songs with the same broken voices. 

You could feel the pain, you could feel him going away, but you could still feel his warmth.

Francois Hagenimana, 24 years old, former student from AU, passed away on September 29, 2013 in a fatal car accident. Hagenimana’s memorial service was held at the Chapel at Ashland University on Oct. 10.

Fran, how his friends used to call him, was sitting on an old brownish couch a week before his accident, in a white old house at the end of Grant Street, just hanging around with his friends. They went to the AU football game against Wayne State University. 

“After the game he picked me up and kissed me on my forehead and he said you know that I love you right?” said Amanda Januzzi.

That was the last time Januzzi would hear those words from him. His friends couldn’t imagine what would happen one week later.

That’s when the terrible news arrived to his friends. Hagenimana died driving in the wrong direction for about 10 minutes on Interstate 70 near Springfield, until he crashed into another car. 

The accident instantly killed Hagenimana as well as Jason Fricke, 28, the driver of the other car.

Many friends would say that Francois left earth too early, during such bad circumstances. 

But this time and these circumstances will never ruin the memories of the type of person he was, according to those who knew him.  

“God was working in his life and now he is with God today,” said Joe Maggelet, a pastor with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. “That’s clear in my heart from who he was and what I know about him.”

At a very young age, Francois ran away from his native country, Rwanda, with his mom and siblings. He left behind a country that was at war, along with a dad and brother who were killed in that war. 

Circumstances did not drag Francois down. Life showed its ugliest and scariest face, but Francois responded with his best smile.

He graduated with a degree in Sports Management and he dreamed of becoming a professional football player. 

Years later he became an assistant coach at Centerville High School. 

He showed everybody that with the correct attitude and the will to make things happen, you can overcome any difficulties.  

Francois did not change the world, but he had a huge impact on his friends and family. He left something on this earth that is worth remembering, say his friends. 

“Francois is one of those people you wanted to know in life,” Januzzi said. “He made you feel like you meant something when you were talking to him, whether it was for five minutes or you knew him for years.”  

Years before, Francois posted on his Facebook wall, “I wonder what God has in store for my life.” The ironic tone of this phrase was answered by Januzzi. 

“I really think what God had in store for Francois was to leave a legacy of just love and a message for everyone to just cherish this time that we had with him,” she said.

Francois’ death showed how fragile life is, and the importance of every second you live. 

Death has the power of transforming insignificant moments into memories that you want to treasure in your heart forever.   

Keri Loughry, Francois’ friend since his freshmen year, was crying when she remembed him dancing and singing rap songs in her living room, eating at Convo or driving to Wal-Mart. 

She stills sends him text messages, just to pretend for a moment that an answer will arrive. 

Francois formed bonds with people that will never be broken, he left memories that will never be forgotten and he left a lesson that all of us should keep in mind. 

“He was an angel,” Januzzi said.

“And now he is,” Loughry said.