Eighteen-year-old Ryo Eda went missing in the deep waters off Mangilao over the weekend. His body was recovered by the Guam Fire Department and US Coast Guard.

While his life may be gone his light shines on in the memory of friends and family.

Eda was a shining star in basketball and volleyball, with bright creativity for the arts, a natural flair for bringing people together.
He had just graduated from Harvest Christian Academy before his life was cut short over the weekend. Harvest art teacher and volleyball coach Brandon Pegarido reflected on the young man's accomplishments.

"We think about the things we do and Ryo was 18 years old in his life and a lot times we think we need to wait later on to do something with our life," he said. "And to me I believe his life is a testament to using it to the fullest, giving God glory with the little things he had given to me."

Pegarido's first memory of EDA was as a student in the eighth grade.

"And for me as a coach we were looking at the junior high kids and seeing the potential coming up into ninth grade," he said. "And Ryo was definitely a student who was very athletic and you could see that right away on the court and playing basketball and volleyball."

He was also an artist with a deep passion to become a licensed professional as a barber and open his own business Ryo Cutz.

"This kid has skills, he is very creative and he is an artist and a lot of his work you could see it started to come out in haircuts," Pegarido said.

And Eda was quite the character.

"He was such a goofball and always doing something silly. He wasn't the obnoxious boy, he was quiet, very kind, very respectful I could rely on him all the time," Pegarido said. "But he always had the silly side of him and always, always happy, happy go lucky and just the person that was always going to make someone laugh."

On Saturday Ryo and a group of five hikers went to Marbo Cave in Mangilao and jumped into the ocean from a 25-feet high cliff line. According to GFD spokesperson Kevin Riley, after landing in the water, Ryo was pulled out by the current and the search for his body continued until Sunday morning when he was located 30 feet under the ocean by rescue swimmers.

Pegarido spoke with Ryo before he went on the hike.



"And then I saw a text from a student that said they found Ryo and he passed away," he said. "And at that moment it was just a very sick feeling in someone that I was just chatting with on WhatsApp, and making plans to connect with him in the summertime and then just gone."

Ryo is remembered by his two loving parents and two younger siblings. And all who remember him say they have been enlightened by his spirit.

Realizing that our life that is lived with purpose and happiness and joy being an outcome of that life lived with purpose and for me, I definitely can see that with Ryo and his life," Pegarido said.