Friends, family offer reflections of lives cut tragically short in fatal fire

Saturday morning brought tragedy to a group of IU students who did everything together. \nJacob Surface, 21, and Joseph Alexander, 21 died Saturday and Nicolas Habicht, 20, died Sunday from a blaze which destroyed their off-campus home as they slept, said Monroe County Coroner David Toumey.\nPaul Dayment, 21, was reported to be in fair condition at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis at press time Sunday.\nThey were all friends that knew each other and attended Center Grove High School near Greenwood, Ind. Alexander, Habicht and Dayment all rented the house together, with Surface living only five minutes away.\nKaren Surface, Jacob's mother, said they were always together and had a lot in common. She said sports was one passion the group shared. \n"Whenever they were all over, I'd never have any trouble," she said. "They were pretty quiet because mostly they would be playing sports video games together."\nThe group would also get together to watch games. Karen said when her son was home, he would schedule his time so he could watch all the Big Ten games.\n"You couldn't ever tape it. He had to watch it live," she said. "When (Jacob) couldn't watch the game at home, he would bring a handheld TV with him so he wouldn't miss anything."\nSurface majored in journalism and hoped to be a sports writer. Alexander was majoring in marketing and wanted to work for a professional sports team. And Habicht enjoyed watching his Pacers and Colts whenever they played.\nJunior Heath Johnson, who lived near Alexander, told The Indianapolis Star that Alexander's "whole life revolved around sports and school."\nBill Long, principal of Center Grove, said all three were well-liked students who "were always good guys." He said he knows students from their school have been deeply affected by their deaths.\n"Center Grove is a real close-knit group," he said. "I went to some open houses the other day and it was what everybody was talking about. People really respected these guys." \nLong said all of the boys were responsible, good students. \nMaresa Girdley, a Greenwood neighbor of the Surface family, said in such a close community, everybody has been "upset about the loss of these real good boys." \nShe said she remembers her son would always catch the bus with Surface and he was very upset by the loss. \nKaren Surface said her son was loved by a lot of people and always got along with everyone.\nShe said he was someone who was always happy and put people in a good mood. \n"What I enjoyed most about him was his wit," she said. "He was very witty and he could just make you laugh with a clever phrase or choice of words." \nSurface was a sports writer for the IDS and contributed frequently to the Club and Intramural section. Karen Surface said her son always had a passion for sports and had all the statistics memorized. \n"He always collected sports cards and knew sports trivia," she said. "From the time he became interested in basketball, he knew he wanted to go to IU. He was always a big Bob Knight fan."\nShe said he rooted for the San Francisco 49ers, the Los Angeles Lakers and of course, IU.\nSophomore Stephen Blackburn, Habicht's best friend and roommate in Sigma Pi fraternity said Habicht also shared the love of sports Surface did.\nBlackburn said he was a huge part of Sigma Pi and was always there for everyone.\n"If you were in the worst mood, he would make everything better," he said. "He had a smile you'd never forget."\nBlackburn also described Habicht as a genuine person.\n"You got Nick for Nick," Blackburn said. "I hate to see the world lose someone like Nick -- I've never met a person like Nick."\nBlackburn said he's very sad Habicht died so early in his life.\n"It was a huge loss for Sigma Pi and society altogether -- he was one of those people that was unforgettable," he said. "I always thought we'd grow old together, but I guess God had another plan."\n-- Contact staff writers Adam Aasen at aaasen@indiana.edu and Stacie Vasko at