Costa students remember friend who died
Mira Costa Junior Max Yollin plays guitar at a memorial Monday evening at Dockweiler Beach for Darius Smith. Photo by Austin Siegemund-Broka
by Austin Siegemund-Broka
Darius Smith always loved bonfires at El Segundo’s Dockweiler Beach.
In his memory, roughly 50 of his classmates gathered there Monday night to chat and laugh beside a crackling bonfire while waves fell gently on the shore. A few of the friends started singing when Costa junior Max Yollin pulled out his guitar. Gradually, the crowd of voices grew as he strummed Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida.”
It seemed a fitting sendoff.
“Whenever we were bored over the summer, we would organize a bonfire,” Mira Costa junior Thomas Farnham said. “Darius would always come, he would be the one to bring the wood.”
Costa students are still reeling from Smith’s death. The Mira Costa junior took his life March 10 at his Redondo Beach home, according to the LA County Department of Coroner.
“He didn’t seem to have any real issues,” Redondo Beach Police Sgt. Phil Keenan said. “He seemed to be a well-adjusted kid. It was pretty surprising — usually, you see telltale signs. From talking to his friends and family, there did not appear to be any of those telltale signs.”
Smith, 17, transferred to Mira Costa last year from Bishop Montgomery High School in Torrance. He was involved in the drama program and the campus Improv Club.
Classmates said Smith’s sense of humor and unflagging cheerfulness drew friends to him quickly. Many said he could make friends with anybody.
Smith’s close friends and fellow students Farnham, Larry Danlasky and Danny Gonzalez organized the bonfire to remember him in a positive and unassuming setting. Many students learned about the bonfire through a Facebook page set up by the three friends.
“Everyone here is pretty much understanding that there’s a time and place for everything,” Gonzalez said. “There’s a time for mourning and reminiscing, and there’s a time for remembering the good times. I think people here are just having a good time celebrating the life in a really positive way.”
Four bonfires burned for Smith from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., while attendees ate, talked, and sang to the sounds of guitars and a viola brought by students. Smith’s science teacher also attended.
“People were talking with people they’d never met, just reminiscing about the good times they had,” Farnham said. “It was good.”
“The fact that everybody came out here and gave their efforts just shows how much of an impact he’s made on everyone at Mira Costa and in our age group in general,” junior Angelo Cabanban said. ER