When Tyler Rose and Justin Watson met, the two were on opposing teams at the 2003 Indiana High School Bowling Association State Finals.
What began as a rivalry blossomed into a friendship for the young bowlers. In 2005, Rose and Watson both came to Ball State University as freshmen, got involved in the bowling team and decided to become roommates.
Even when the two competed with each other in leagues while at Ball State, they remained fast friends.
"We were bowling on opposite teams in Muncie," Watson said. "[Rose] would come down if I was struggling and give me advice and tell me what I was doing wrong."
Rose died in a motorcycle crash on the South Side of Indianapolis early Thursday morning while fleeing from police trying to pull him over for speeding. He sped through an S curve near the intersection of Banta and McFarland roads and lost control of his motorcycle, hitting a sign and a tree before being thrown from the bike, according to police reports.
Funeral services for Rose will be at 1 p.m. today at Decatur Funeral Center in Indianapolis.
Rose, 20, is remembered by friends and family as fun-loving and friendly to all around him.
"There was never a dull moment with Tyler," Watson said. "We could be in the most serious situation, and Tyler would make everyone laugh. He was the ideal person to be your friend." Watson has plans to wed in January and hoped Rose would be his best man, he said.
Like all roommates, Watson said, he and rose had their occasional differences.
"One thing I hated ... about Tyler was he snored so loud," he said. "But if I could have traded roommates, I never would have. I never stopped laughing when I was living with him."
Donna Adams, Rose's mother, said he her son was "an avid outdoorsmen," who enjoyed fishing, hunting and boating. He hoped to become a conservation officer after earning a degree in criminal justice and criminology.
Rose did not attend Ball State in the spring, as he was taking classes at Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana in Indianapolis, but he planned to return to the university in the fall. He had spent a total of three semesters at Ball State. "He always said 'Hi' to everyone when we walked into class," said senior Haley Bird, who is also a criminal justice major. "He was really respectful, but made jokes and made the professor laugh."
Rose was a member of the bowling team during the 2005-06 Academic Year. He had been an avid bowler for several years and recorded two perfect games during his career, Kim Buell, former Ball State bowling coach, said.
"Tyler was a good young man," he said. "It's going to be a loss for his friends, and it's also going to be a loss for bowling because he was an extremely good bowler."
Rose purchased a motorcycle about two months ago even though many of his friends and family members did not approve of the decision.
Bird said she was shocked that he died but not surprised by how the incident occurred, calling Rose a "risk taker."
"He loved to drive fast, and he loved to take risks, and he was fearless," Adams said.
Despite Rose's varied interests and willingness to take risks, he always found time for family and friends Melodie Rose, Tyler Rose's sister, said, adding that he was "the most outgoing and caring person in the world."
"He never knew a stranger," Adams said. "Everybody loved him."
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