At the hillside Baltimore County church where he received his First Communion, Brandon J. Malstrom was remembered yesterday by friends and family as a beautiful young man who loved others and life to the fullest.
Malstrom, 20, a dean's list business student at the University of Maryland, College Park, was fatally stabbed early Sunday morning during a fight at an off-campus homecoming party.
More than 500 people streamed into St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church yesterday on the eastern edge of Long Green Valley, which was bright in the fall sunlight with amber and fiery red hues.
During the emotional Mass, a quiet strength carried the sanctuary, with friends offering hugs and smiles of comfort to those overcome by grief.
Quick with a joke and a helping hand, Brandon Malstrom was "a thriller" in all that he did, said William Malstrom IV, who gave his younger brother's eulogy. He was sensitive and tough, the elder Malstrom said. "And that's a real fine line, but he did it with class.
"Though his death was senseless, his life was the farthest thing from senseless," William Malstrom said. "He had such a purpose about him."
Brandon Malstrom, who grew up in Phoenix, was attacked after being caught in a confrontation between students and nonstudents who were not invited to the Saturday night party near the university campus. He died several hours later at a local hospital.
Two men, a 24-year-old from Columbia and a 23-year-old Hanover resident, have been arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the case.
William Malstrom recalled a story about a hike that he and his brother took with their father, William Malstrom III, during a vacation. They had climbed a rocky precipice and were returning to meet their mother, Carol, when the older brother, 13 at the time, slipped on loose rocks and began sliding down the steep slope.
Despite the fact that Brandon Malstrom was younger and smaller, "he grabbed onto me with all he had," William Malstrom IV said. That story summed up Brandon Malstrom, he said, because his younger brother was always putting people he cared about ahead of himself. "On that trip, he became my best friend," he said.
He urged the audience, filled with young men and women, to "take away from this his strength because there's more than enough to go around."
As William Malstrom IV returned to his seat, one person began to clap, and then all stood to give him an ovation of support.
The Rev. William Franken, St. John's pastor, likened Brandon Malstrom's death to a blackout in his loved one's lives. "Brandon was loved, loved by many," he said.
The Dulaney High School graduate played lacrosse on the high school team and in several recreation leagues. He also was a "great skateboarder and snowboarder," said Lauren Wittelsberger, 19.
"He was a life-of-the-party kind of kid," said her sister, Marlena, 20. The sisters had known Brandon since elementary school.
"We've all known Brandon since he was 4 or 5 years old," said Geoff Champney, 23, a close friend of William Malstrom IV. "It's just been awesome to see the man he grew up to be."
Under a tent at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens in Timonium, Brandon Malstrom was laid to rest as friends took turns leaving mementos and saying good-bye. From the edge of the crowd, Jamie Blomeier, a family adviser at the cemetery, watched a familiar scene.
A little more than a month ago, another family buried Gregory D. Talbot, 20, of Phoenix, who died in a car accident Oct. 7. He was one of Malstrom's closest friends. Now the two are buried side by side.
"This affects kids more than we realize," Blomeier said. "They feel immortal until something like this happens."
As the crowd dwindled at the cemetery, Brandon's uncle, Paul Malstrom, who sang and played guitar at the funeral, said Brandon was filled with the same strength that got his older brother through the morning's difficult eulogy.
"He was just like his brother -- only maybe funnier," Paul Malstrom said, smiling. "He was a great kid. He was beautiful."
At 10 p.m. tomorrow, students, friends and university officials will gather at a memorial concert at Santa Fe Cafe, 4410 Knox Road, College Park, to remember Brandon Malstrom and raise money for a scholarship fund in his memory.