Never one to shy away from fun, junior Brandon Zwieg was considered by his friends to be a really nice guy who was smart, hard working and always joking around.
Former roommate and close friend junior Cal Kraegenbrink said he was never bored when Zwieg was around because he was always up to something.
“One time he got bored so he decided to throw a party at his house an hour away,” he said. “And he actually got a ton of people from campus to go. That’s just who he was.”
Zwieg was from Willard, Wis. and died in Eau Claire Monday morning at his home off campus.
He majored in information systems and was on the executive board of the Association of Information Technology Professionals. President of AITP senior Jameson Ewan said he met Zwieg last fall and thought he was a great asset to the group.
“He had a great sense of humor and was easy to talk to,” Ewan said. “He was a smart guy who was really active in the group and the major, you knew it was something he enjoyed doing.”
Zwieg graduated in 2008 from Greenwood High School, where he played football and baseball. He remained active in sports at UW-Eau Claire and just enjoyed interacting with people.
“He was very social and would talk to anyone, even just say hi to random people walking by,” he said. “He also loved sports and would try to get people to play racquetball or go rock climbing.”
Dean of Students Brian Carlisle said this loss is hard on everyone and knows Zwieg made a huge impact on those around him.
“I have been told by so many people what a fantastic personality he had and that he was just a really good kid,” he said.
“People are hurting now and there has been an outpouring of love from the campus.”
Carlisle said Zwieg’s parents have set up the Brandon Zwieg Memorial Scholarship Fund through the UW-Eau Claire foundation. The family requests that donations be made to the fund in lieu of flowers.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 16 at the Neillsville United Church of Christ, 515 W. Second Street, Neillsville, Wisc. Visitation will be held at the church from 9 a.m. until the memorial service.
Carlisle said he encourages students to contact Counseling Services at (715) 836-5521 or stop by Old Library 2122.
