The Bethel community is grieving the death of sophomore Bader Nassar, 21, in a traffic accident in Wichita on the evening of Oct. 22.
Wichita EMS responded around 6:45 p.m. to the intersection of Greenwich Rd. and Greenwich Court in northeast Wichita, which functions as a westbound on and off-ramp for K-96.
The motorcycle Nassar was driving apparently collided with an SUV, whose 16-year-old driver and 41-year-old passenger remained on the scene. EMS found Nassar lying in the road, where he was pronounced dead.
Nassar transferred from Butler Community College to Bethel in the spring semester of 2026 and was a member of the men’s soccer team with an interest in business as a degree program. He graduated from high school in Ramallah, West Bank.
Nassar lived in Wichita, where he played for the Wichita Selection, an indoor soccer team. A statement on the team’s Facebook page said, “We will never forget your kindness and your big heart. You were the type of person who genuinely cared about those around you.”
One former Bethel soccer player remembered Nassar as “the most uplifting and kind person,” while current men’s team members described him as “always positive,” “always the first to volunteer when [anyone needed help],” and “a joyful uplifting soul.”
“The sudden death of Bader Nassar continues to affect us all,” Bethel President Wynn Goering said in a message to campus. “We are feeling the literal truth of the old expression ‘a heavy heart,’ as a constriction of the chest and the lungs, when we think of a life cut so tragically short. …
“After reading many of the posts from Bader’s friends and teammates, I have been reminded of words in an English poem that describe ‘that best portion of a good man’s life, / His little, nameless, unremembered, acts / Of kindness and of love.’ By these measures, Bader Nassar was clearly a very good man.
“I urge us all, in the days and weeks to come, to honor his memory by emulating his example. … Let us resolve to make the world a better place, for Bader Nassar being part of our lives.”
Nassar’s funeral took place Oct. 23 at the Islamic Society of Wichita, where he attended. Both men’s and women’s soccer games on Oct. 24 began with a time of honoring Nassar and a moment of silence. Bethel convocation on Oct. 26 included a period of remembering and honoring him and acknowledging the community’s grief, as did the chapel service on Oct. 28.
Bethel is a four-year liberal arts college founded in 1887 and is the oldest Mennonite college in North America. Bethel is ranked #25 in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Regional College Midwest for 2026. Bethel was the only Kansas college or university to be named a Truth, Community Healing and Transformation (TCHT) Campus Center, in 2021. For more information, see www.bethelks.edu
