Death is never easy to handle, but memories of John W. Ellinger are keeping his spirit alive in the hearts of loved ones. The 23-year-old Ohio State engineering major died July 12 from injuries suffered after his motorcycle collided with a car on Neil Avenue.Erin Estell, a senior wildlife management major, said she met Ellinger over a year ago in an OSU social dance course, where he worked as an assistant instructor. Since then the two had been dating and had engagement plans.”We had so many hopes and dreams,” Estell said. “He was my soulmate.” Estell said that he loved his family, his motorcycle and had dreams of opening his own electronics store in the future.”He really had a passion for life,” Estell said. Ellinger was interested in sports. He followed the OSU football team and the Cincinnati Reds. He also played intramural ice hockey and enjoyed rock climbing. Ellinger is survived by a younger sister Melissa, an older sister Lori and an older brother Jefferson. The couple had hopes of moving to California someday, so that John could live near his older brother.Ken Kushner, a lab supervisor in the Engineering Department, knew John from the social dance courses. “They (he and Erin) would dance between breaks,” Kushner said. “It was nice to see.”Dr. Carroll Mobley of the material sciences engineering department, knew John for two years as a professor and employer. “He was a very enthusiastic guy with a great sense of humor, a lot of fun to be around,” Mobley said.John worked part-time for Mobley, where he made products from molten metal.”He was a great worker, interested in learning,” Mobley said. His love of motorcycles permeated into the classroom on several occasions. Mobley said that for an exercise in class, students had to deal with the failure of a system. John didn’t like the selections of models Mobley had in class, so he decided to use his own motorcycle and the failure of a valve stem as his project.Despite this tragic ordeal, the event has given Estell a “renewed passion for life.”She said that he’s now in a better place and the thing that has kept her going is “knowing I’ll see him again someday.”