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Traverse City Central High School Students, Staff Share Memories Of Drake Tester

“His smile,” said Tamara Williams, choir director at Traverse City Central High School. “His smile and his energy.”

Friends and teachers reminiscing about this Traverse City student.

Drake Tester passed away on March 26 from a seizure condition he was born with.

It only impacted him once every few years but ultimately it was the cause of his death while he was in Florida with his parents.

A memory board is filled with student’s favorite memories of Drake.

His smile is what students and teachers say they will remember most about him.

“His personality, his smile, the way he treated everybody,” said Tim Odette, teacher and student senate advisor at Traverse City Central High School.

Drake Tester was born with a seizure disorder. Two years ago, he and his family surprised a girl in Cadillac with a donation to get a seizure dog; many say he just loved to help others.

"He treated every kid the same,” said Odette “It didn’t matter who you were, what your status was, he treated everyone with respect and really kind of followed that golden rule of treating others the way you want to be treated, I think he really embodied that."

Drake’s disorder was the ultimate cause of his death. He ran track, was in choir and was known for his beat boxing skills.

"He set such a great example for our students,” said Odette. “We’ve talked about trying to live up to the standards that Drake set and honoring his memory and the way we live our lives."

All week, favorite memories of Drake were shared on a wall in the hallway of Traverse City Central.

“It’s a great reminder of what he was like at school and how he acted every day and I’ve read a couple of them and it just sounds like he was a really good friend to everybody,” said Jordan Vincent, junior and classmate of Drake.

But not only are these words a true testament of who Drake was, but it’s also helping students cope together.

“It’s hard to always be a positive light when you’re struggling with things on your own but Drake was a true testament to that. He led by example and he was so kind to other people and of course that leaves an incredible impact on other students," said Williams. “I’m going to miss him."

A celebration of Drake’s life will be this Sunday at 1 p.m. at the First Congregational Church of Traverse City. For more information, click .

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