This was previously published in our October 2024 issue.
“Everything reminds me of him. Just even driving past Emmaus just reminds me. Even though I went to that school, it’s just him. It’s always him.”
Edwin Cortes’ older sister, Leah Cortes, said as she reflected on life a year after her brother’s passing. She smiled as she thought back to their fond memories.
“He was always there, regardless of anything, even if he wasn’t a friend, even if he was just an acquaintance, he would make sure you’re okay,” Leah Cortes, a 2022 EHS graduate said.
Through the ups and downs of being a high school student, Edwin always led with his most positive step, walking alongside those who needed support. His life was not only full of liveliness and spontaneity, but also of passion and companionship.
Before his tragically passing in a car accident a year ago, Edwin left a lasting positive impact — not only on those that had the pleasure of knowing him, but on his whole community. Being the lovable person he was, Edwin’s life was brimming with meaningful and cherished friendships.
Junior Jakob Wenner, one of his best friends, had the opportunity to watch Edwin form positive relations with everyone he came in contact with.
“Before [the accident] happened, we were always together. We would always be at my house,” Wenner said. “My mom loved him. My parents knew him. He had a strong relationship with almost everyone that he knew.”
Each of his valued bonds and friendships that he crafted in his 17 years remain unbroken and continue to be fondly remembered. Though he was not the biggest fan of school, he loved going to see his friends; his memory is everywhere, scattered among the everyday lives of his loved ones.
Leah Cortes noted how even her own items remind her of Edwin.
“Just even driving my car [makes me think of him]— he used my car for a whole year,” Leah Cortes said.
Edwin was known for his adoration of cars. He spent a great deal of time working on one with his dad and going to car meets with friends. Edwin had a strong work ethic, with his love of tinkering around under the hood just one such demonstration of his tenacity.
Whenever his friends would play games, Edwin’s passion would show through competitiveness.
“He’s very competitive too,” Wenner said. “He’s just always gotta win. [He] can never really just play for fun, but that’s [what is] so special about him.”
Another one of Edwin’s passions was his love for sports. He would sometimes play basketball with friends, and was also in a baseball league. Later, he picked up football and lacrosse, the latter of which eventually becoming one of his biggest obsessions and areas of expertise.
“I think if he was still present, he would still be in lacrosse. I think this was one of the sports that he actually adored and that he was trying in. He didn’t have enough time, obviously, to perfect it, but he still did it,” Leah Cortes said. “That’s one of the things I love about him: he always did what he wanted to do, when he wanted to do it.”
Friends say that once Edwin set his mind to something, his strong-willed personality took over to drive him to succeed. Another good friend of Edwin’s, junior Dominic Suida, sees him as the kind of person that would keep going even if he messed up, working toward perfection. He remembers Edwin’s effort and competitive drive toward bettering himself.
“He was a good kid. He started going to the gym a lot. He got his license, he got a car, he just started bettering himself a lot,” Suida said. “Around that time, he was doing things that made him happy.”
That happiness and positivity he worked to cultivate certainly influenced his friends. He used his motivation to inspire his friends to persist in order to achieve their goals and continue to grow. Suida, a music and brand creator, felt Edwin’s constant support pertaining to his dreams.
“I remember he would motivate me a lot to keep going with my brand and music and other things. He was a very positive person,” Suida said. “I wish he was here to see me progress with my brand and music and stuff.”
Not only did Edwin support Suida in his decisions, he influenced Wenner with his open-mindedness.
“He had a very good understanding of things,” Wenner said. “Like the way I would look at things, he would look at them different and then he would tell me how [he] looks at them, and it would just give me a better perspective on different types of things.”
Edwin made all of his friends feel loved and appreciated. Suida became much closer to Edwin when a new friend group was formed. The group spent a lot of time together, whether through hanging out at the Alburtis pool during summer, playing pranks around Halloween, or creating other hilarious memories.
Wenner reminisced that during his life, Edwin made sure that every moment was going to be as memorable as possible,, and that every second would count. He filled his days with fond experiences and constant amusement, always fearlessly taking that extra step and acting spontaneously to live life to the fullest.
Wenner fondly recalled these experiences — including once, when the pair even ended up painting Wenner’s room at 3 a.m. on one of their many nights spent hanging out at sleepovers.
As an introvert herself, Leah Cortes admires his free-spirited mentality.
“He did everything. He didn’t care what it was. He and his friends actually literally spray painted his car in the middle of the night, like they were just crazy,” Leah Cortes said. “It’s actually nice to see that in friend groups because a lot of friend groups aren’t like that. They were like his brothers and sisters. We grew up with them.”
Only two years apart in age and the closest amongst them and their stepsisters, Edwin and his sister had a very tight-knit relationship growing up.
“We grew up together. It was just me and him,” Leah Cortes said. “I would just say [we were] very close, not twins, but almost, basically.”
The siblings would spend many of their nights together, with Edwin randomly entering Leah Cortes’ room and switching on a movie. Not only did these surprise movie nights on Leah Cortes’ bedroom floor make their bond stronger, they also showed Edwin’s sense of spontaneity. Leah Cortes recalled the time they planned a beach trip at 3 a.m. to see the sunrise and “just went.”
From their experience on the dawn trip to his love of sunsets, the sky is a constant reminder to Leah Cortes of her beloved brother. Similar to the sky, the beach also acts as a symbol of Edwin’s memory.
“We took a lot of beach trips during the summer, just me and him, and it was very fun. He just knew how to have fun, and that’s why I’m very happy,” Leah Cortes said. “In his time that he was here, he enjoyed a lot of things.”
Hanging out with friends was one of Edwin’s most enjoyed activities, whether it was gaming together, having sleepovers, going outside, or by playing the many sports that Edwin took interest in, he and his friends never shared a dull moment.
With so many people who care about him, Edwin’s passing took a heavy toll on the community, but his friends and family came together in a time of need and stood with one another.
“My friends and his friends literally stood with me for a whole month in my house. That’s how nice and considerate they were,” Leah Cortes said.
Edwin’s amiability created friendships as strong as family bonds. They had an intertwined support system to help cope during such a difficult loss. Being so close to Edwin, Wenner ended up spending a lot of time with their friends throughout the healing process.
“I would be with my friends a lot. We would always be together because we were trying to be there for eachother because it’s a hard time,” Wenner said.
Being such an outgoing, radiant person, Edwin continues to be missed dearly. The loss of Edwin and his compassionate soul has left his loved ones in grief. Though he is no longer here, he is still walking with his family. Edwin’s whole family — both born and found — suffered with the devastating loss.
“His family was obviously dealing with the death of a son. That’s not anything anyone wants to go through. So his family was [going through] a hard time,” Wenner said.
Because he was so close to many people in many different ways, everyone was affected by his passing in a different way — though all include missing his light.
“It [his passing] affected me a lot… I mean it all affected us in the same kind of way because we all had our special relations to him — that was my best friend,” Wenner said. “But his family — I could never imagine what they had to go through because he was cared about. He was loved.”
