Communication junior Brayton Groth, a former floor mate and close friend, said Watson’s impact on him was immediate and long lasting.

“I knew from the minute I met him he was a very welcoming guy,” Groth said. “He was extremely funny and intelligent.”

Groth lived with Watson on the seventh floor of Hubbard Hall during the 2006-07 school year. The pair, along with other members of the floor, became fast friends. Groth said Watson, who was just a year away from graduating, was a promising student.

Watson died Tuesday afternoon after he lost control of his Mercury Mountaineer and collided with the base of a guardrail on the Cedar Street bridge over the Red Cedar River in Lansing. The Ingham County Medical Examiner reported the cause of death as drowning and extreme hypothermia.

MSU student Terrance Oates also lived with Watson in Hubbard Hall. Oates said he and Watson often held parties in his dorm room and were known throughout the floor for their love of a good time.

Oates said the group of friends were very close-knit.

“We were notorious for parties on the seventh floor. … I wouldn’t trade (those memories) for the world,” he said.

Oates said Watson often could be found playing video games or listening to music — at extreme volumes — during his spare time. The Mercury Mountaineer Watson was driving during the accident was one of his pet projects. He spent hours customizing the sound system, Oates said.

A Chicago native, Watson loved his hometown music and baseball, especially his beloved White Sox, Oates said.

“He loved his sounds, and he really loved music from Chicago,” he said. “He was from Chicago and proud of it, and he really loved his White Sox.”

Brent Sielinski, a history senior and president of Kappa Sigma Fraternity, said Watson was always willing to help
others.

Watson’s roommate and friend, Shawn Wiltfong, is a Kappa Sigma member, and Watson was a pledge in 2005.

Wiltfong, a 20-year-old economics junior, was the lone passenger in the crash on Tuesday.

He was treated Wednesday
for a broken rib and bruised lung before being released from Sparrow Hospital in Lansing.

Watson had been working at Coca-Cola Bottling Co. in Lansing to support himself while he attended MSU. He
worked long hours stocking vending machines, managing inventory and delivering shipments.

“He was a very hard worker … very goal oriented,” Sielinski said.

Groth said it will take him a long time to deal with the loss his friend, but he is happy to have many fond memories to reflect upon.

“It’s hard to describe and put into words the type of person Jay was,” he said. “Everyone just loved him.”