University of Maryland student Sultan Adedoyinsola Oyeshile, a devoted brother and friend who was always ready to lend a helping hand, died March 12 after a car accident. He was 22.
Oyeshile was driving on Interstate 95 in South Carolina when he lost control of his vehicle and crashed into several trees, according to reports by The Manning Times and WISTV.
Three passengers in Oyeshile’s car were taken to Clarendon Memorial Hospital, where one passenger, a student from this university, was released, and a student from the University of the District of Columbia underwent surgery and is recovering from a broken leg. The third passenger, also a student at this university, was transferred to a different hospital and had surgery but is now in stable condition, recovering from a few broken ribs and a broken hand.
Born in Washington, Oyeshile grew up in Silver Spring and attended Damascus High School in Montgomery County. A Pittsburgh Steelers fan, he often watched football on television and played outside on La Plata Beach. He had many close ties at the university, and friends and family remember Oyeshile for the attention and care he gave to others.
“He was the type of person that would give anything to somebody he loves — whether you’re a friend or family member,” his brother Idris Oyeshile said. “He’d give somebody the shirt off his back if they needed it.”
His brother said Oyeshile, a senior community health major, wanted to go to medical school after obtaining his undergraduate degree — career plans that went hand-in-hand with how Oyeshile lived his life, as his dream to manage his own medical facility would allow him to care for others in need.
“Whatever field he ended up in, he wanted to make an impact on people’s lives,” said Brandon Nelson, a senior economics major and one of Oyeshile’s closest friends. “He was all about helping people and seeing what he could do to make the lives of other people better.”
Nelson is one of three members of Oyeshile’s core friend group at this university, which also included senior computer science major Marcellus Davenport and senior criminology and criminal justice major Derek Abrokwa.
This foursome was nearly inseparable, said English and journalism major Danielle Gillis, Oyeshile’s girlfriend of one year. The group had plans to graduate and grow up together, making Oyeshile’s death even more difficult for them to process.
“They had plans to grow old and have cookouts with their families — it was more than just some college friends,” Gillis said. “They had planned to be together forever.”
Nelson’s girlfriend, senior community health major Mikaela Kone, recalled Oyeshile’s trustworthiness and his “shining personality.”
“He was a person that would put anyone before himself and left an impact on everyone he met,” Kone said.
Oyeshile’s fondness for his friends was paralleled by an immense love for his parents, brothers and cousins, Gillis said. His family was everything to him, and they supported him however they could.
“He was always the happiest when he was talking about his friends or family,” Idris Oyeshile said.
Although the friend group did not live together this year as they had their junior year, Oyeshile made a concerted effort to prevent any strain on their relationships.
“We talked all day, every day,” Nelson said. “Once the weekend rolled around, we were right back together again.”
Oyeshile’s rigorous work ethic and several jobs — including working in restaurants such as Red Robin and as a community assistant at this university — made it difficult for him to be as involved on the campus as he wanted to be, but he still found a way to leave an impression on anyone he spoke to, no matter how briefly, Gillis said.
“Everyone he spoke to he touched,” Gillis said. “Even people he saw just once have a story about he made them laugh or recall a funny story from months ago. … He’s going to be missed.”
Oyeshile is survived by his father, Ali Oyeshile; his mother, Bola Odusanya; and his three brothers, Idris, Saheed and Eniola Oyeshile.
His funeral was held Tuesday at the De Vol Funeral Home in Gaithersburg. Doors will open at 10 a.m. and the service will begin at 10:45 a.m.