Friends remember Greer High student Tolliver

Family, friends and community members are mourning the loss of 17-year-old Treven “T.J.” Tolliver, a Greer High School senior who passed away Friday.

To many, Tolliver will be remembered for his laugh and smile.

“He always tried to joke around and make you laugh. He might have been going through something horrible, but he would put a smile on and make you smile,” said childhood friend Darius Sanders, a junior at Riverside High. “He was just always there, no matter what. He was that good of a guy. This is going to be a loss to the community, not just me.”

Oconee County emergency personnel responded to a recreational area of Lake Keowee Friday at around 5:20 p.m., where Tolliver “fell into water that was deeper than he could stand,” according to Scott Krein, director of emergency management.

“We got a phone call at about 5:22 p.m. and we responded. Within just under 40 minutes we had a recovery,” Krein said

Tolliver was recovered from a water depth of 26 feet, according to Oconee County Coroner Karl Addis.

“We started CPR immediately and then transported him to the hospital where we had temporarily gotten a pulse back,” Krein said.

After being resuscitated at Oconee Memorial Hospital, Tolliver was transferred to Greenville Memorial Hospital. He was pronounced dead at 9:17 p.m.

Counselors were on hand Monday to assist students at the high school. Greer High Principal Marion Waters said receiving the news was tough.

“(Monday was) an inordinately quiet day for our students as they process the loss of their classmate and friend,” Waters said in an email. “…At present, the focus is on supporting T.J. Tolliver’s family and friends in the coming days and weeks.”

A memorial service is expected later in the week.

The athlete
Matt Ramsdell coached Tolliver, an avid football and basketball player, in middle school, describing the teen as a quiet leader on the hardwood.

“I would describe him as my hardest worker,” Ramsdell said. “He just had 100 percent energy all the time. He always played at one speed and nothing else. He had a great attitude. He was a quiet, respectful kid. I just couldn’t ask anything more out of a kid than what I got out of T.J.”

Ramsdell said when Tolliver spoke, people listened.

“He’s one of those quiet leaders. When he did say something, everybody just kind of listened. He had such a good presence in the locker room and on the court. The kids looked up to him,” he said. “I heard the news Saturday and I just broke down and cried. It was horrible. I know he loved his family and I know they’ve got to be devastated. I just can’t imagine that. There was such a bright future for T.J. and this really hurts.”

Sanders, a former teammate of Tolliver’s, said the two were a great combination.

“It was like a one-two punch. He would always set me up to score and vice-versa,” he said. “It was a match made in heaven almost. He was a real competitor. If we were down, he would always give a talk to get you to push yourself. He was a motivator, as well as one of the star players on the team.”

The friend
Tolliver’s impact spread beyond the basketball court.

“He’s the type of guy that always watched out for me,” Sanders said. “I remember when we were younger, I was going through a phase and he would always tell me to do the right thing. No matter how easy the wrong thing could be, the right is always the best way. He looked out for all of us. He was like a big brother to me.”

Sanders said he was at the beach when he heard the news of Tolliver’s passing.

“It was about 6:30 in the morning and I woke up thinking something was wrong, but I went back to bed,” he said. “My mom called me around 7:30 a.m. When she told me the news, I had to make sure we were talking about the same guy. I would have never believed that someone like him would pass. As the day went on, it hit me like a brick—that I’d just lost my best friend, my brother.”
 
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