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POSTED: Tuesday, November 18, 2008
                       

This story has been corrected. See below.

Luke Kotaro Nishikawa was a best friend to many, often taking care of others and listening to them when they needed someone to talk to, according to relatives and friends.

“;He's so sensitive to people's hearts. He understands right away who is in a weak position, who is hurting, who is in need,”; said Nishikawa's father, Koji Nishikawa, pastor of the Honolulu Japanese Seventh-day Adventist Church in Manoa. “;I respect him a lot.”;

Nishikawa, 22, of Kaimuki, was one of four Pacific Union College students killed Saturday night in a car collision in Angwin, Calif., northwest of Santa Rosa. He was due to graduate in June with his sister, Christal, 21, and aspired to be a history teacher.

Nishikawa, who was wearing his seat belt at the time of the crash, was the front-seat passenger in a black 2003 Honda Civic. The vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed on Deer Park Road when it veered into the opposite lane and was hit broadside by a Toyota T-100 pickup truck, according to the California Highway Patrol. All four students in the car were pronounced dead at the scene.

Pacific Union College will hold a memorial service on Thursday.

Nishikawa was born and raised in Mountain View, Calif. He and his family lived in Sacramento before they moved in 2001 to Hawaii, where he attended Hawaiian Mission Academy. After he graduated in 2004, Nishikawa returned to California to study at Pacific Union College, a private Seventh-day Adventist liberal arts college in Napa County.

Family and friends described Nishikawa as an adventurous person who lived life to the fullest and had hundreds of friends. “;He lived life loudly,”; said best friend Justin Kim. During the past three summers, he worked as a surf instructor for the Hawaiian Fire Surf School.

Fluent in Japanese, Nishikawa taught residents and tourists alike how to surf.

“;He was definitely one of the happiest guys in the world. You would never see him without a big grin on his face, always smiling, always joking around,”; said operations manager Ryan Miller.

Nishikawa also played the guitar for school-based services and activities. A YouTube video features Nishikawa playing the guitar to a rendition of “;Honestly”; by Ekolu at a college benefit concert for Hurricane Katrina victims.

He led Bible studies for the college's Korean Club and often taught at Bible School at the Rohnert Park Korean Seventh-day Adventist Church. A month ago, Nishikawa and a group of people fed about 500 homeless people at Oakland Park.

“;He was like a best friend to everyone,”; said friend Andrew Kwon. “;He wanted to help everyone.”;

               

     

 

 

CORRECTION         » Luke Nishikawa of Kaimuki, who was one of four Pacific Union College students killed in a car crash in Angwin, Calif., last Saturday, was part of a church group who fed about 500 homeless people at Oakland Park a month ago. A story on Page A4 on Tuesday said Nishikawa was at Oakland Park Saturday morning.