Former Edison High School student remembered for joy he brought to others
Justin Koleser, a former Edison High School student, is being remembered by family and friends for the positive energy, bright light and love he shared with everyone.
Justin, 18, who struggled with a medical condition, died suddenly Sunday at his father's home, according to his grandmother, Nanette Malave, who has set up a GoFundMe page, My Grandson's Funeral to help pay for his funeral expenses.
"Justin was loved by so many people and will be missed tremendously. He has brought so much joy to all the lives he touched," Malave said in the post.
"If you ask anyone at the high school, Justin would light up your world," Malave said Thursday in a telephone interview, adding she plans to hold a memorial service in Alabama, where Justin lived with her for seven years.
"He was so, so, so special. He was the light of everyone's life," Malave said, adding her grandson had an infectious smile. "Justin was just the best friend you could ever have. He touched everyone in a positive way. There was no way of not loving him."
Justin's father, Michael Koleser, said his son carried warmth with him every day from the time he was little.
"It just flowed from him," Koleser said. "He was just so outgoing he could just meet anybody, any stranger on the street and if he saw they were having a bad day, he would do or say something. He never looked down on anyone."
Edison High School Principal Charles Ross said Justin, who sang in the school choir, brought such a bright light with him that you couldn't miss him in the hallway.
"He always brought a smile to the face of the people who knew him. He was able to be himself and shine and do his thing and never had a bad word for anybody and nobody had a bad word for him," Ross said. "He was one of those people if you got to know him, you loved him."
"Just a nice, caring young man who was always impeccably dressed," Ross said. "A bright light dimmed too soon."
Malave said her grandson, who worked at Topgolf in Edison, lived in Edison until the age of 8 when he moved to live with her in Andalusia, Alabama after he was diagnosed with diabetes so she could strictly monitor his care while her son, Justin's father, shared custody but worked long hours as an executive chef in New Jersey.
"Not every child deals with it. Justin hated the fact he was a diabetic," said Malave.
Malave said Justin attended Camp Seale Harris in Alabama for children with diabetes for six years where he later became a counselor, but he always wanted to be a normal kid and at times struggled with monitoring his health.
"He was fighting with it a lot," his father said.
While in Alabama Justin was part of a competitive swim team for the Andalusia Stingrays and attended two years of high school there. He returned to New Jersey in 2020 where he was part of Edison High School junior varsity cheerleading team, the choir and swim team, according to his obituary.
Koleser said his son's return to New Jersey was also prompted by a desire to spend more time with his father.
Koleser said he son, who was a senior last year at Edison High School, had plans to get his GED and go to fashion school in hopes of becoming a fashion designer.
"He didn't wear regular clothes. A lot of the stuff he wore he would go buy it at a regular store and come home and recreate it in his vision. He had the most creative spirit," Koleser said.
"He made his own shirt for prom. He had 6-inch stiletto boots," Malave said adding her grandson will be buried in both.
Koleser said Justin was gay and very proud of it. He came out to his father in a telephone call from Alabama with the help of his older sister.
"I accepted it. He was so happy he could tell me,” said Koleser who encouraged his son to be himself.
He said his son wore makeup and 6-inch stiletto heels and he was 6-feet tall. Koleser who remembers telling his son he didn't think he needed the extra height but liked the heels.
"The higher the heel to him, the better. He liked being seen. He wore his pride very well. He didn't hide it from anybody," Koleser said.
Justin's funeral is scheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 7 at St. John's Episcopal Church, 189 George St., New Brunswick. Visiting hours will be 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 6 at the Costello-Runyon Funeral Home, 568 Middlesex Ave., Metuchen. Besides his parents and grandparents, he is also survived by two sisters and extended family members.
Email: srussell@gannettnj.com
Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Former Edison student remembered for joy he brought to others
