This week for the Tattoo of the Week, we highlight a tattoo gotten by three friends in memory of their best friend Sebastian Sheehy, who died last semester.

Sometimes, a tattoo is more than a design. It’s a lifeline, a memory, and a tribute to someone who left a mark far beyond the skin. 

For VTSU Castleton students Erin Forkin, Phil Malazarte, and Emerson Jolliffe, their matching tattoos are a permanent memorial to their beloved friend, Sebastian Sheehy Sheehy, known to his close friends as “Seb,” tragically passed away, leaving behind a profound emptiness in the hearts of those who knew him. 

To honor his memory, his friends chose to get the name “Seb” inked in Tengwar, an Elvish script from The Lord of the Rings, one of Sheehy’s greatest passions.

 “The first time I met Seb was at Dungeons and Dragons,” said Erin Forkin, one of his closest friends. “I had just started dating my boyfriend Tony, who had been best friends with Seb for years. The first thing Seb did was point out my Lord of the Rings tattoo, and we instantly clicked.” 

Seb’s love for fantasy worlds, especially The Lord of the Rings, was a defining part of his personality. He and Erin could talk for hours about Middle-earth lore and dive into the most obscure fan theories and videos. 

“When I showed him my deluxe Lord of the Rings book set with the gold-bordered pages, he was the most excited and interested out of anyone,” Forkin shared. “We bonded over that more than anything.” 

Sheehy wasn’t just a fan of fantasy, he was a genuinely kind, funny, and thoughtful person who made his friends feel safe, heard, and supported. 

“He was truly one of the most caring people I’ve ever met,” Forkin shared. “When I was first learning D&D, he was the only  one who could teach it to me in a way I understood. He never got impatient. He would always get up and come over to help me.” 

Sheehy’s generosity extended far beyond the gaming table. “When I didn’t have a car, he’d always offer me rides,” Forkin recalled. “No matter how much gas money I tried to give him, he wouldn’t take it—he’d rather I buy him Fireside instead.” 

Phil Malazarte, another VTSU student and friend, met Seb through the SOS group on campus. Though they weren’t initially close, their bond grew over time.

“I did know him, not much at first, but I got to know him throughout the year,” Malazarte said. “He invited me out to go do stuff, but I would have prior commitments. It bummed me out, and it bums me out even more now.” 

Malazarte vividly remembers the moment he learned about Sheehy’s passing. “I was at work at 8 a.m. when my friend just called me, like, ‘Hey, he’s gone.’ 

It was very unexpected and makes Malazarte wish he could’ve hung out with Sheehy more. “This tattoo is a memorial to him.” Malazarte shared “I wanted to make sure he left his mark on whatever is available and I’m available, so why not?” 

For Emerson Jolliffe, Seb’s loss is something that continues to be deeply painful. “Seb was genuinely one of my closest friends. To say I loved him would be putting it lightly,” Jolliffe said. “Losing him was and is one of the hardest losses I’ve ever had to manage. I’m still struggling a lot with the giant hole he left in our lives.” 

Jolliffe believes the tattoo holds more than memory it holds presence. “Getting the tattoo, for me at least, was a way to not only keep his memory alive but also genuinely feel like in a way, he’s still here with us. It’s like even though he’s physically gone, there’s a piece of him with us at all times.” said Jolliffe. 

In his senior yearbook, Sebastian wrote that his one wish was to be remembered. Through the ink they carry, his friends have made that wish come true. He’ll be remembered not just for the Elvish script, the Lord of the Rings quotes, or the knight’s gauntlets he once wore around campus but for the kindness, laughter, and light he brought into the world.And now, wherever his friends go, Seb walks with them, etched in Elvish and in memory, forever.