Sidney Anthony “Tony” Nelson III was remembered as a caring, compassionate friend and brother as hundreds of students gathered to celebrate his life and legacy. Originally from Inglewood, California, the University of Oregon freshman passed away on May 31 after drowning at Wildwood Falls.
Since his death, there has been an outpouring of support for his family, including a GoFundMe fundraiser that has raised over $9,000 in two days – well more than the original goal of $8,000.
The vigil held in Nelson’s honor began at 7 p.m. Thursday in the EMU Amphitheater. Students passed around candles and pins with blue and red beads – Nelson’s favorite colors. Some members of the crowd were dressed formally in black, others wore sweaters and shirts emblazoned with the name of their fraternity or sorority.
Javier Cruz-Contreras spoke of his best friend, saying whether you knew Nelson for one hour or one week, “he was always there for you” and he inspired everyone he met.
In an interview with The Emerald, Cruz-Contreras recalled Nelson’s talent and passion for web development.
“I remember one day he just sat here and worked on a web page,” Cruz-Contreras said. “We went to bed, we woke up in the morning and he was still doing it.”
Cruz-Contreras and his roommates considered Nelson their sixth roommate, and have dedicated a place in their apartment for memories of Nelson, such as clothes he left behind and cards from friends.
During the vigil, Cruz-Contreras introduced four songs, one of which was written and produced by Nelson. Nelson was a talented classical pianist and produced original music that he shared on his SoundCloud account. The song “Fantasies” played over the speakers as students in the crowd listened silently. At the end of the song, one student shouted, “That was beautiful!”

As the vigil continued, many students shared memories of Nelson. Some students who knew Nelson in high school referred to him as Sidney, others called him Tony, but all of them spoke of his kindness, his selflessness and his endless positivity.
One of Nelson’s best friends, and Cruz-Contreras’ roommate, Luca Aldag, hopes that Nelson will remain in everyone’s hearts.
“I hope people try to do better and achieve their own dreams in their life, because Tony never got a chance to,” Aldag said.”We’re all here now, we’re all living for Tony.”
Later Aldag read a letter from the Nelson family, thanking Nelson’s friends and community for their support.
“We have many happy memories of Tony,” the letter read. “We will work hard to remember the way he lived, not the way he left. We pray that you will do the same.”
Cruz-Contreras and Aldag were some of the students who were with Nelson the day he died, and the Nelson family addressed part of their letter to them.
“To the friends who were there at his last moments, thank you for all that you did to try to save Tony. Please do not relive that moment for the rest of your life. Hold your heads up high and go forward.”
UO freshman Elise Maclean spoke briefly alongside three of her friends, recalling how friendly and outgoing Nelson was, and how much he will be missed by all who knew him.
“He was just one of those people that… he could only talk to you once and he’d remember you,” Maclean said.
“He’ll always be my best friend and I love him so much,” Maclean said tearfully. “We’re gonna miss him.”
Follow Francesca Fontana on Twitter @francescamarief