Tears, smiles, and poignant remembrances merged Saturday to mark the passing of a Colgate student whose deep love of life, fun, and occasional “chaos” left an indelible mark on campus.
Victor Krivitski ’12 died Aug. 22 after an eight-month fight with cancer. The 21-year-old was from Cape May Court House, N.J.
Krivitski was a geology major, rugby player, member of the Colgate Geological Society, WRCU radio host, and recruitment chair of Phi Delta Theta.
On Saturday, hundreds of members of the Colgate community attended what was called Victor Krivitski Family Fun Day at the rugby pitch.
Krivitski’s life was celebrated during a ceremony in between the men’s and women’s rugby games and throughout the afternoon, with a barbecue, a bounce house for children, and other activities.
A memorial service was held later Saturday at Memorial Chapel, where it was standing room only.
In his eulogy, Schon noted his friend’s capacity for life.
“… Vic was driven by a pure, unadulterated love of life and a profound passion to live it beyond its normal boundaries. You could also rest assured that, ultimately, in some unexpected way, something good would come of the chaos he was inciting.”
Schon said that, although the service was at times overwhelming and sad, it also was marked by an immense display of compassion and caring.
“Everyone wore bright colors to celebrate Victor’s colorful and joyous life,” he said. “It was an amazing and inspiring show of unity by the Colgate community.”
In addition to his Colgate activities, Krivitski worked summers as a whitewater rafting guide on the Arkansas River in Colorado. He enjoyed hiking and rock climbing in the Adirondack Mountains, Colorado, and New Hampshire, and he was a fan of scuba diving, camping, and riding his motorcycle.
Donations in his memory can be made to the Brendan Borek Memorial Fund; the Love of Linda Cancer Fund; or Survivors of Cancer.
