William Horace Dykes will be remembered as the guy with a smile on his face and a spontaneous and fun-loving spirit — a brother, son and friend who left the world too soon.
The 24-year-old Auburn senior died Friday, July 18.
Captain Stofer, with the Auburn police, said the department received a request to do a resident welfare check that Friday night.
“Dykes apparently died of a self-inflicted gun-shot wound,” Stofer said.
Dykes was born in Mesa, Ariz., and graduated from high school in Memphis, Tenn. He was a senior in business administration at Auburn and a member of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity.
Dykes’ friends agree he lived a life of extraordinary impact.
“If you met him for ten minutes, you couldn’t forget him — he was one of a kind,” said Seth Brooks, friend and fraternity brother of Dykes.
The funeral service was held Wednesday, July 23, in Centre. Dykes’ mother was touched by the number of friends that came to say goodbye her son.
“There were 60 of them to escort him to his rest,” Mrs. Dykes said. “It was the most amazing display of love and sadness I’ve ever seen.”
In describing the funeral, Brooks said he had never seen such a large group of people who were not family brought together by their grief over the loss of a mutual friend. “We had all lost a huge part of us,” Brooks said. “He had such an impact on so many people’s lives.”
Like both of his Auburn alumni parents, Will was a devoted Auburn fan. He was also a committed member of his fraternity. “He loved Auburn and he loved Pi Kapp,” said Josh Willis, an Auburn alum who was one of Dykes’ fraternity brothers.
Brooks said Dykes was one of the first people he got to know when he first came to Auburn.
“He helped hold the brotherhood together,” Brooks said. “The fraternity meant the world to him.”
Dykes was known for his friendliness, readiness to have fun and his ability to easily connect with others.
“Will had fun in everything he did, and it was impossible to not have fun being around him. He was spontaneous and always up for anything,” said Bridgette Bonner, an Auburn student and friend of Will.
Dykes was an employee and frequenter of the Auburn Oyster Bar where he was working this summer.
“He had the biggest heart of anyone I knew — he would give you the shirt off his back,” said Derrick Stuckey, who worked with Dykes. “He is always going to be remembered as the funny guy.”
But as much as Dykes liked to have fun, he was also the person people felt they could always go to for help.
“Will was the go-to guy. He was always there to help anyone who needed him,” Bonner said. “He could bring a smile to your face on your worst day.”
Willis remembers another striking aspect of Dykes’ character.
“When I think of what quality most defined Will to me, it is selflessness,” Willis said. “He wanted to make sure that others were happy first and foremost.”
Will’s relationships were also characterized by uncommon devotion.
“Loyalty is too weak a word to describe his devotion to the people, places, and the things he loved” Willis said.
Dyke’s parents, Earl and Mary Beth Dykes, reside in Cleveland, Miss.
Dykes had an older brother and sister, Russell Dykes and Margaret Swanson. Both siblings have precious memories of times spent with their younger brother, from various childhood pranks and adventures to visiting each other at college and attending football games.
“He was a joyous and vibrant young man with a huge heart that we will miss every day for the rest of our lives,” said Dykes’ mother.
In a letter to her brother that was read at the funeral, Dykes’ sister expressed the feelings of everyone who had truly known Will.
“I’ll miss you terribly, but whenever I think about you I’ll remember all the times you made me laugh and smile. Our lives have been enriched by knowing you,” Swanson said.
This fall, a flag ceremony held on campus will provide a time for family and friends to gather once again in remembrance of Will Dykes.
