EASTHAMPTON — Those whose lives were touched by Rodney Yankson will not soon forget the unending kindness and sense of ambition he brought to the Easthampton community.

Yankson, 22, who grew up in Easthampton and graduated from Easthampton High School in 2021, was found dead in Lower Mill Pond on Friday afternoon. He had been missing since leaving home on a mountain bike Tuesday, with the community rallying around the family hoping to see him return home safely as police and others searched for him.

Growing up, Yankson’s tall stature and bright smile made him instantly stand out. Easthampton City Councilor Salem Derby, who coached Yankson in youth basketball and watched him grow up alongside his son, said that some players found him intimidating because he was so tall. In reality though, Yankson, who was 6 feet, 5 inches tall, couldn’t have been a more gentle person. On the court, Derby recalls calling out to Yankson, telling him to “be Rodney the bull” and go for the net.

“He was just the most gentle, kind, sweet kid,” said Derby, whose son was one of Yankson’s best friends in elementary school. “He was not a man of many words, but he had this deep voice … he always was humorous.”

Besides basketball, Yankson’s life was filled with time spent with family and friends. Several of his best lifelong friends lived just one street away in their neighborhood near Pleasant Street, and the group eventually became close enough to consider one another brothers.

“We grew up a street across from each other, so we’d jump the fence to hang out,” said Darrien Esposito, one of Yankson’s best friends. “Rodney was a very kind person. There wasn’t a single bad bone in his body.”

When Esposito thinks of Yankson, the image that rises to the forefront of his mind is of his friend’s smile.

“He’s always smiling. When he sees somebody down, he would lift them up,” said Esposito. “It was impossible to be in a bad mood with him around.”

Yankson and Esposito spent most afternoons together, going on bike rides throughout the neighborhood or meeting up at the skate park with their other best friends, Anthony Feliciano and Famara Diedhiou. Even when their group grew apart at different times in their lives, they always found each other again. Esposito said it’s been hard to reconcile the fact that “one of us is missing.”

“We were like brothers … we were just always together as kids,” said Feliciano. “He always looked out for everyone.”

Diedhiou recalled being inspired by Yankson’s kindness toward others, as well as his ambitious spirit and wholehearted encouragement of his friends as they pursued their own goals.

“He taught me how to be a better brother to my own brother, just because of how he was with his … he loved his family more than anything,” Diedhiou said. “He always worked on becoming successful in any way he could possible be, and we all respected him for it.”

According to Diedhiou, Yankson worked tirelessly toward his two dreams: becoming an actor, and one day owning a chain of restaurants. As soon as Yankson told Diedhiou his dream of acting, Diedhiou started sending him anything he came across regarding acting opportunities.

“He was such an entertaining person, I knew 100% he could do it,” he said.

Diedhiou and Yankson also shared a passion for cars, and would often go for rides or work on their cars together. For all of Yankson’s friends, his presence was a reassuring force, and he was always ready to offer kind words.

“He’d always tell you to be strong and forgiving, and just keep moving,” Diedhious said. “He did know that everyone loved him. He did know that.”

Investigations into Yankson’s death are ongoing through the Easthampton Police Department and the State Police Detective Unit assigned to the Northwestern district attorney’s office. Official identification of Yankson and cause of death are to be determined by the office of the chief medical examiner.

According to Steven Gagne, first assistant district attorney at the district attorney’s office, the case is “presumptively a drowning investigation,” but the official cause of death is yet to be determined.

Yankson’s family did not wish to comment. To support the Yankson family, donations may be made to their GoFundMe fundraiser at gofund.me/b731cf46.

Alexa Lewis can be reached at alewis@gazettenet.com.