KYLE M. JOHNSON
STAFF WRITER

A memorial service for CSUSM student Madison Howe was held at the McMahon house on April 1, just one week after his passing.

Prior to the service, Madison’s parents greeted guests, consisting of friends, family, students and faculty, among other relations. His parents expressed genuine interest in hearing about how those unfamiliar to them had known their son.

Nearby, a table was set up with photos of Madison, some of his favorite books including works by George Orwell and Thomas Paine, and a sign in sheet and album in which guests could write about their fondest memories of Madison.

Following a performance of traditional bagpipe music, the service began with a prayer, a brief word from the pastor and a reading of Psalm 23.

Madison’s father, Haydn, then delivered a eulogy, which spoke highly of Madison’s gracious attitude, even in times of pain when he was being treated for his peripheral pulmonary arterial stenosis, a condition which affected the arteries in his lungs. At one point in the eulogy, Haydn said how he would love to tell everyone about his son, but that Madison would not want him to, so as to preserve every person’s individual perception of him.

Shortly after, a communal eulogy took place in which anyone in attendance could share a brief anecdote about his or her relationship with Madison. A consensus was reached amidst the stories shared, and that was that Madison was a genuinely good person who selflessly gave of himself to everyone around him, greatly enriching lives.

As a gift to those in attendance, and representative of Madison’s enthusiasm and talent for playing guitar, each guest was given a guitar pick.

An essay, written by Madison when he was 17 years old, entitled “Why is Life so Hard” was included in the memorial program and read aloud by the pastor.

In the essay, Madison set out to answer such questions as “Why is life so hard?” and “Why do I exist?” Throughout the essay, he addresses his personal insecurities, namely defining himself and finding his purpose, and overcoming those insecurities. He then addresses his illness, and instead of allowing it to inhibit him, he states, “You just do what you have to do to stay alive.”

With his inspiring philosophy, and the referencing of the philosophies of Viktor E. Frankl and Fyodor Dostoevsky, Madison made a powerful conclusion.

“I have come to realize that without negatives there will never be any positives,” Madison wrote.

His ability to accept his illness as a negative, and also as a way to see things positively, allowed Madison to find his purpose in his suffering.

“Simply existing seems now to be a great purpose, and still, as young as I am, I have many years to go,” Madison wrote.

Photo scanned from the memorial program.