Justis Rose, a 19-year-old Kent State freshman, died suddenly at his home Monday. 

Meghan Miller, the residence hall director for Stopher and Johnson Halls, sent an email Wednesday to the Honors College community about the death.

“The loss of anyone is hard but particularly when someone is so young,” Miller said. “In our experience, people have different responses to grief and loss so while we do not know what each of you needs individually, we wanted to make you aware of some resources that may assist you in making sense of the tragedy.”

The email did not mention the cause of death.

Posted to the online tribute wall are memories of Rose from family and friends, as well as ways to purchase flowers for the family.

“All of your academic and athletic achievements, as well as the character you displayed in everything you did, were so inspiring,” wrote Brandon Gill, a relative. “Your passion for board games, and how it brought all of us closer, is a memory I will always cherish.”

According to his LinkedIn profile, Rose was a freshman studying business administration and management. He graduated from Field High School in 2018, where he excelled as a student and an athlete. He was a member of the cross-country and track teams.

At Kent State, he was a member of the Honors College and the ROTC program.

“I learned that hard work is (or at least should be) the fundamental way one moves up in society,” Rose wrote in his LinkedIn bio. “It is what lifts us above others, and shows someone is willing to deal with the hardships of life and endure to better themselves.”

Calling hours for Rose are Friday, April 5 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Bissler & Sons Funeral Home in Kent. The funeral will be held at Kent United Church of Christ at 10 a.m. April 6, and the burial will follow at Standing Rock Cemetery.

An obituary published in the Record-Courier said Rose “had a heart full of kindness. He always thought of others first and asked for little for himself. His name was so fitting because he deeply believed, above all, that the world should be a just place.”

Contact Madison MacArthur 

at [email protected].