Nathan Hardcastle was inherently active, full of life and couldn’t stay in the same place for more than five seconds. Even with his passion for all things outdoors and a vibrant personality, he was best known for his passion for others.
Nathan’s best friend, Corey Jackson, said Nathan was highly spirited.
“He was definitely very outgoing,” Jackson said.
Jackson said he met Nathan in first grade where they were in the same class. The two grew up on the same street and were best friends from the start, he said.
Nathan loved being active and taking part in outdoor activities as well as being involved with his fraternity, Alpha Gamma Rho, Jackson said.
“He loved to go hunting and fishing,” he said. “When he was younger he used to do motocross with his dad and he loved being with his friends.”
Although he had educational goals, Jackson said Nathan’s true aspirations were more unconventional and fit with his animated personality.
“He had some very interesting goals,” he said. “He wanted to major in ecological restoration but he really wanted to fly helicopters and shoot hogs out of it after he graduated.”
Jackson said he found it hard to pin down one memorable moment with Nathan because of the long friendship they shared, but he enjoyed everything from attending Astros games as kids, “when they were still good,” to more recent memories.
“We went to A&M-Galveston together freshman year and we went fishing together all the time,” Jackson said.
Above Nathan’s outgoing, quirky personality, Jackson said he wants his best friend to be remembered for the compassionate, determined person he was.
“He was a loving and caring person,” Jackson said. “He put his family and friends in front of everything. And he was a hard worker who really worked toward his goals.”