For spring break, IU junior Aaron Holme was supposed to go skiing in Colorado with his mother and stepfather.
Skiing in the mountains was one of the things that made Holme happiest, his mother Cheryl Adams said.
These family ski trips are some of the memories Adams clings to as she tries to grapple with her loss.
“He was so fun to be around,” Adams said. “He was so warm and loving.”
On March 4, 21-year-old Holme took his own life, Adams said. His loved ones will remember him as an energetic, joyful and intelligent person who enjoyed traveling and music as much as he loved sports.
Holme, originally from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, transferred to IU his sophomore year after studying at a school in his hometown his freshman year, Adams said.
He planned to major in informatics and was particularly interested in cybersecurity and neuroscience. Formerly pre-med, Holme hoped to find a way to combine informatics with medicine, Adams said.
“He was always very interested in what was going on in the world,” Adams said. “He just seemed to know so much beyond his years.”
Part of the reason for his interest in medicine was his own medical challenges, Adams said. Holme suffered from right-sided hemiparesis, which caused weakness in his right hand and right leg.
His mother said Holme was interested in looking for ways to help people with conditions similar to his. But his physical weakness never inhibited him from playing sports — he loved playing tennis and golf, Adams said.
“He never let it stop him or slow him down,” Adams said. “He always found a way to keep going.”
Holme also loved listening to and performing electronic music, and frequently attended electronic music festivals with his friends, Adams said.
His sister, 17-year-old Alyssa Holme, laughed as she recalled him blasting his music in their home.
“My mom would always tell him to turn it down,” Alyssa Holme said.
The last time Alyssa Holme spent time with her brother was during winter break. She remembers going to a Christmas tree farm with their whole family to pick out a tree. He always loved that tradition, she said.
Alyssa Holme said her brother always tried to make her laugh.
“He was a great brother,” Alyssa Holme said. “He was always there for me.”
At home, Aaron Holme loved his pets, including his pet snake Gatsby. He is survived by his father, Alan Holme, stepfather Frederick Adams, stepsister Lisabeth Adams and stepbrother J. Andrew Adams.
At IU, he was a brief participant in the Ski and Snowboard Club and also worked at the Bookmarket Eatery in the Herman B Wells Library about three times a week.
On the day he died, Aaron Holme had originally planned to be a pallbearer in the funeral of his grandmother, Adams’ mother, who died last week, Adams said.
“When you have a son and they’re that young ...” Adams said, trailing off. “You can’t accept it.”
Adams said she wishes she could understand more about her son’s death. But for now, she hopes his loved ones can remember the happy moments in his life.
“My heart is broken,” Adams said. “We love him so much more than words can say.”
