Family, friends, former teachers, coaches and Coronado community members filled a memorial service for one of their own on Wednesday: a young man killed in the devastating warehouse fire in Oakland, California, which claimed the lives of dozens.
Nick Gomez Hall, a 2009 graduate of Coronado High School, was one of the 36 people killed in the fire.
Childhood friends tell NBC 7 San Diego that Gomez Hall, 25, was an amazing person who was always looking for an adventure, and, along the way, the best in people.
Gomez Hall’s sailing coach in Coronado calls his death a “tragedy for the whole town.”
"It's just, it is the hardest part to swallow is you never want to say that people don't deserve something but, you know, a wonderful family like that doesn't deserve it," said Jon Rogers, Gomez Hall's former coach.
Gomez Hall was a member of a sailing team throughout high school and would practice at Coronado Yacht Club. He first started when he was nine years old and spent countless hours there with friends, taking lessons, friends said.
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Rogers said that Gomez Hall was naturally talented at sailing, and didn't have to take classes non-stop to continue to get better.
He was so good that kids at the high school would fight over being partners with him.
After high school, Gomez Hall worked at the Yacht Club, helping teach younger sailors everything he learned through his years of enjoying the sport.
Gomez Hall's former coach remembering how he responded when being under pressure.
"The coaches have a lot of responsibility, it's a challenge to send them out there depending on the conditions," said Rogers. "If these boats capsize, they semi-sink. On a windy day, if you've got three or four kids tipped over at the same time, it puts a lot of stress on a coach. He never got stressed."
Gomez Hall is also being mourned all over social media by friends across the country. In one online post, a childhood friend said that growing up with Gomez Hall was an “incredible gift.”
In another social media post, The Steel Yard in Rhode Island – where Gomez Hall attended college – called him an inspiration and a friend.
Gomez Hall was part of a band. “The Indy” college newspaper posted about his band, saying they’re deeply feeling the impact of the young man’s loss. In Berkeley, California, publishing house Counterpoint Press also posted a tribute on Facebook to Gomez Hall, saying they’re devastated over his death, saying he was a part of their family.
