NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – As the sun set on Thursday, March 6, music began to blast from trumpets, tubas, and trombones.
Many of the tunes were uplifting, all to remember Caleb Wilson.
Accompanied by the beat of drums, his friends honored the Southern University Jaguar taken way too soon.
“It’s a heaviness for me. I know that this city, we do this for a living. We do this as culture. Having all these people come out here and support Caleb means a lot,” said Ryan Williams, a friend of Caleb.
He says he met Caleb in 2017, when he had just started learning to play the trombone.
Other friends remembered Caleb’s spirit.
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“It just means a lot to me and I know it does to him, as we all celebrate his spirit,” said Brandon Mitchell.
Mitchell and Williams say they were close to Caleb, since they were a part of several music programs.
They said they traveled around the nation and learned the basics of playing an instrument, and reading music.
“I remember going to San Francisco with Caleb and I was going through a tough time. I was nervous, I was going through some personal things that had happened. He helped me through it, talked me through it,” Williams said.
Mitchell said Caleb’s spirit was a good one.
“He had a spirit. He was always funny, made jokes, always practiced. You know, he had a good spirit,” he said.
Gail Cadres says her grandson had been friends with Caleb since elementary school, and the two had grown to have a special bond.
“It was a true friendship. You don’t forget the kids that you came up through school with,” she said.
Everyone that spoke said how bright of a student Caleb was.
“He and my grandson spent years at Hynes Elementary and then at Warren Easton, also. They both finished in the top of their class at Warren Easton. Wonderful, wonderful young man,” Cadres said.
Some even said he taught them about the stock market.
“We were close, we always hung out. He put me on stocks, he taught me how to do stocks. We just bonded, we had a great bond,” Mitchell said.
They all said it is fitting their friend is being sent off with a second line.
“He was good in the community and we always did second lines with each other,” Mitchell said.
Williams said he came to the second line, because that is what his friend would have done.
“I know Caleb would have done it for me if I would have passed.”
“He was such a wonderful kid. He was fun loving, energetic kid. He was just one of a kind,” Cadres said.
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