Friends, family and community members gathered in the Mary Queen of Peace Church in Sammamish on Saturday, June 18 to attend the funeral service of Western sophomore Trevor D’Mello.
D’Mello, 19, died on Monday, June 13 after being struck by a vehicle when he fell from his motorcycle while travelling on I-90. His death has been ruled an accident, according to the King County Medical Examiner’s office.
D’Mello had just completed his second year at Western. He was pursuing a degree in business administration and accounting, following in his father’s footsteps. The day before his funeral, one of D’Mello’s friends informed his parents D’Mello had been placed on the Dean’s list for spring quarter and was planning to surprise them with the news when he arrived home Monday.
“He really looked outwards and tried to benefit other people. He wasn’t self-centered; instead of necessary dealing with stuff about himself, he would outwardly help a lot of different people.”
Tyler Le
D’Mello had an extensive knowledge of cars and motorcycles and would often create paintings of cars, his parents said. He loved software and phones, and would assist his neighbors with any of their computer troubles.
Junior Tyler Le, one of D’Mello’s close friends, described him an optimistic person who always tried to do good where he could.
“He really looked outwards and tried to benefit other people,” Le said. “He wasn’t self-centered; instead of necessary dealing with stuff about himself, he would outwardly help a lot of different people.”
D'Mello's passion for motor vehicles inspired Le to obtain his own motorcycle permit and buy a bike. Le said he could sometimes feel D'Mello “ghost-riding” along beside him when he takes out his motorcycle.
“I talked about getting a bike for a year but never saw it through for a variety of justifications,” Le said. “This was the final motivator. It’s how I honor him.”
D’Mello was born in Dubai and travelled frequently due to his father’s job with Microsoft. He attended international schools in Dubai, Istanbul and Paris. In 2010, D’Mello went to five different high schools in the span of nine months as his family moved houses, but his parents said his extroverted personality helped him adapt to new cultures and quickly make friends.
“He was the loudest and best laugh in the room. I don’t think I ever saw him in a bad mood.”
Sean Rita
One of them was Sean Rita, a friend D’Mello met in Nash Hall freshman year. Rita recalls the two of them roaming the campus with a big group of friends, making dining hall runs and venturing to High Street and downtown Bellingham.
The two started hanging out and getting to know each other much more this past year, he said.
“He was the loudest and best laugh in the room,” Rita said. “I don’t think I ever saw him in a bad mood.”
D’Mello always knew how to bring someone up if they were feeling down and was truly a good friend, he said.
“Sometimes you can say that about some people just because you’re flattering them, but I can genuinely say he was a good friend to everyone,” Rita said. “That’s how I would describe Trevor.”
Rita and D’Mello became fast friends after sharing a ride to pick up a friend in Fairhaven after a Seahawks game. They swapped numbers and everything took off from there, Rita said.
“I hung out with him probably every weekend up here, so they kind of blent together,” Rita said. “It was always a good time with Trevor.”
D’Mello enjoyed listening to a variety of music – specifically rap – watching shows like South Park and Family Guy, eating out, having get togethers with friends and spending time with his girlfriend.
