Very early on Sunday, January 2, 2022, Nolan Eugene Witman, 18, transitioned to the Golden Gates of Paradise.  Our Father has our Nolan in His care and His kingdom.  You may have known him as Nolan or Nolie or No No or Eugene or Canoli or Guacamoli or a half dozen other nick names.  Regardless, you knew one of the greatest souls to ever bless our world.  While we are certain of Nolan’s place in the afterlife; we also recognize and deeply feel the void he left here on earth.

Nolan’s legacy will not be in how he died; rather, it will be in how he lived.  Boy did he live.  And, if you knew him, he was going to make you live too.  Simply put, my Nolan never took “no” for an answer.  Ever.  That kid could not stand being bored.  He could come up with a scheme in minutes and somehow make you buy into it.

Nolan would not have wanted his obituary to be boastful and bragging.  Wait.  Nolan would never forgive me if I did not mention he was the fastest runner among his peers.  That he was the strongest lifter among his peers.  Or, that he was the best player in Madden.  And, despite any winning or losing record in Fantasy Football, he was going to convince you that his team was superior.  And, I’ve not even mentioned his culinary skills.  Perhaps, my son did have moments of vanity.

Whatever Nolan did, he did with heart.  The 5’2” stature could not contain the beast within.  He never turned down a dare or a bet.  I guess because he nearly never lost.  Let me be clear, it didn’t have to be a dare given to him.  He could come up with daring activities all on his own.  I mean, doesn’t every kid build a ramp over a creek and try to jump it on his bike?

The only “threat” he ever took seriously and never provoked was the fear his mother would show up and embarrass him.  Let me set the record straight.  Nothing embarrassed Nolan.  He held his humor and his curiosity above humiliation.  But, let me find him not where he told me he’d be; I may show up in a housecoat with curlers.  Let him greet me without a kiss; I’ll kiss everyone around him.

One thing I did right was put that fear in him.  He never hung up without an “I love you.”  He never saw me without a kiss and hug.  He never went to bed, got up, went out, came home, called, or even left a room without a kiss on my head or an “I love you.”

But boy oh boy, did that boy give me gray hair.  No one ever found a dare he would not accept.  Including heights.  He hated heights.  Even when his friends tortured him in this fear, he bit the bullet and climbed on.  He used to say, “God made me close to the ground. And I’m not here to challenge God’s wishes.”

Due to his size, most people did not expect much from him.  Every. Single. Time.  Nolan shocked and knocked their socks off.  What he lacked in stature, he more than made up for in character.  His character saw no boundaries.  Nolan never judged anyone and accepted everyone for exactly who they were.  He did not have one group of friends; he had an entire world of friends.

Nolan was athletic.  And, he was funny.  He won the senior superlative “class clown” and was proud.  He was compassionate and empathetic.  But, he didn’t want you to know that.  He loved his Mustang.  He loved running and track.  He loved football.  He loved his Ravens.  His friends were everything.  EVERY.  SINGLE. FRIEND.  He adored his brothers and loved his family.

Nolan never used trumpets or cymbals to convey his belief in God.  Rather, he brought God with him in everything he did.  He prayed and praised.  He prayed for and prayed with.  God directed Nolan and Nolan followed.

In these last few days, the most common compliment given about Nolan was that he & his smile lit up the room. He would tell you that he had to light the room.  When he was 3, he saw a “blue tarantula” in his closet and never slept in or entered a dark room again!  If he had to be the light, then so be it.

If you loved Nolan and keep him in your heart, be on your toes.  You don’t think being in God’s Kingdom is going to stop him from pranks, do you?

Nolan started volunteering with me when he was an infant.  But he never acted like a volunteer.  To Nolan, it was another chance for playing or running or talking.  He took on the role of participant and friend.  The program closest to his heart is Family Promise.  He would be honored if you learned about this charity.

If anyone reading this or you know of anyone in a dark place or who desperately seeks a momentary numb or a permanent solution or even just has a need to talk to someone without judgment or “skin in the game”, please have them reach out to someone, anyone, me (Wendy), or Sean’s house (Sean’s House | Unlocke The Light).   I would be honored if you learned about this charity.

Everyone handles grief differently. No right. No wrong.  But.  Do not.  I repeat. Do NOT try to handle grief alone.  None of us were put here to suffer and none of us were put here to be alone.  Despite how life feels and sometimes deals, every life is precious and deserving of love and acceptance.

I hope everyone will join us to celebrate Nolan’s life.  Wear black if you must.  But, to honor Nolan, I invite you to wear your favorite football or baseball jersey, favorite t-shirt, something with color, but please be comfortable. Note:  All persons wearing Steelers attire will be handed a shirt and tie.

Nolan is survived by a host of friends and family.  Please keep his mother, Wendy Eastburn-Teal and her partner, Michael Hamby, Sr.; father, Glen Witman and his wife, Jennifer; siblings: Henry Witman, Callirissa Hamby, Michael Hamby, Jr., Breanna Brayerton, Samuel Witman; maternal grandparents: Carol and James Teal and Warren and Elizabeth Eastburn; paternal grandmother, Virginia Wingate; maternal uncles: Thomas Eastburn, Robert Teal, and James Teal; maternal aunts: Virginia Artz, Virginia Teal, and Bonnie Dalager; paternal uncle: Scott Witman; paternal aunts: Sandra Witman, Kim Witman, and Joanne Mayfield; nephews: Ryder Brayerton and Harley Doble in your prayers for healing and comfort.

A viewing will be held in Nolan’s honor on Friday, January 14, 2022, from 6-8PM at One in Christ Community Church, 2145 Graves Road, Hockessin, DE 19707. A Celebration of his life will be on Saturday, January 15, 2022, at 11:00 AM at the church. Family and friends may attend the viewing prior to the service beginning at 10:00AM.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made payable to “Family Promise of Northern New Castle County” HOME | FP Delaware (familypromisede.org) in Nolan’s name and sent in care of R.T. Foard & Jones, Inc., 122 West Main Street, Newark, DE 19711.