Friends and family honored the life of OU engineering sophomore Theodore May Jr., remembering him as a positive, uplifting force following his death last Thursday.
May, 19, collided with another vehicle while driving a motorcycle along Emerald Way and Chautauqua Avenue near Greek Row. The Norman Police Department reported his death after he was transported to a local hospital.
May was born July 13, 2004, in Methuen, Massachusetts, to Theodore May and Amy Russo, according to his Cooper Funeral Home obituary. He was raised in McLoud, Oklahoma, by Theodore and Lisa May.
Describing his son, Theodore called him the “smartest dumb kid” he had ever known. Growing up, May developed a passion for vehicles and mechanics, which carried into his OU career.
“That kid tore apart everything,” Theodore said. “He just had to figure out what was making it tick.”
May was a member of the Sooner Off-Road club, which designs and builds single-seat, off-road vehicles for competitions. His parents and friends said it was one of his biggest passions.
“As soon as you told him something, you could see it in his eyes — he’d go and figure it out.” Adam Goldberg, Sooner Off-Road co-captain, said. “He really made an effort every day to get better at learning.”
Through the Sooner Off-Road club, Goldberg said May became a teacher for incoming freshmen, and for the entire team.
“He was not only passionate about working on the cars, but passionate about getting other people passionate,” he said.
May’s father said his son’s leadership can be attributed to his self-motivation and intelligence. He added this was apparent when May's passion drove him to rebuild a Honda CR250 at 14.
His father traded a CR450 model for his son to rebuild the CR250. Theodore ordered the necessary parts, but May was guided by the manuals.
“From the ground up, he did it all by himself and figured it out,” Lisa said.
Zach Baker, an OU engineering sophomore, was one of May’s closest friends. He said one of his favorite memories of May was of a late-night trip for cheesesteaks that resulted in the pair falling off a single Veo scooter and into a pool in 20-degree weather.
“He said we weren’t going to make it. I say we would’ve made it if he didn’t jump off,” Baker said. “Whenever I think of Theo, I think of that.”
For his friends and family, he is remembered as a humorous, lively figure to be around. His father said his positive attitude was always characterized by his trademark smile.
“He always had that quirky smile, no matter what,” Theodore said. “That’s what I love about him.”
Goldberg said although students can experience positive and negative emotions throughout the semester, May never appeared distraught. Instead, his smile was persistent and contagious.
“It’s ingrained in my brain,” Goldberg said. “Every time I saw him, that’s what he had on his face. He was so nice to be around.”
This is how Lisa and Theodore hope he is remembered, as a light-hearted, positive person. They said May adored OU and his friends, and enjoyed the last months of his life.
“It makes the heart happy,” Lisa said.
May is survived by his parents, his two sisters, Shelby Dowell and Brianna Nikkel, his nephew, Zane Dowell, his grandparents, Cynthia Russo and Charles Losawyer and his aunt and uncle, Lara and Justin Mathews.
May’s funeral is at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Cooper Funeral Home Chapel and will be followed by a burial at Rossville Cemetery in Meeker. Visitation hours are from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday and family gathering from 5 to 7 p.m. at Cooper Funeral Home in Tecumseh, according to the funeral home obituary.
This story was edited by Alexia Aston, Peggy Dodd and Taylor Jones. Natalie Armour and Mary Ann Livingood copy edited this article.
