WATERLOO REGION — Jacob Ranton was a star athlete. Academically, he was strong and among his peers he was well-liked — the kind of guy who had your back.

And at six-foot-eight inches tall, weighing 215 pounds, there was no denying his presence.

The 20-year-old Waterloo man was home for Christmas just like most university students are at this time of the year.

He had been home for almost a week — watching football with friends, hitting golf balls with his younger brother Trevor, at basketball practice with the senior boys' team at Waterloo Collegiate Institute and just hanging out with mom and dad, both public school teachers who were looking forward to the holidays with their two boys.

It couldn't have felt better at the Ranton household.

But Tuesday morning everything changed. Ranton didn't come home Monday night. Instead, his body was found in the Conestogo River beneath the train bridge in St. Jacobs by a citizen late Tuesday morning.

For the Ranton family, the sudden death of their son and brother is a "devastating shock," said family friend Craig Nickel.

"Their world has been turned upside down," he said.

"His death has left so many unanswered questions," said Nickel, who was with the family on Christmas Eve during the day.

"I'm sitting beside the Christmas tree and his stocking is here with his name on it," he said.

There were no signs of depression or problems at school. Instead, the family is struggling to comprehend why their son would take his own life.

The day before his death, Ranton went to basketball practice at Waterloo Collegiate, hit golf balls with his brother who is going to Indiana University on a golf scholarship next year and then hung out with friends watching Monday night football.

He came home late that night and left a note on the counter, telling his parents he was taking the car and going out for food. He never came home.

Ranton was a second-year business student at Memorial University in Newfoundland, on a full scholarship to play his beloved basketball.

He was a cherished member of the school's team, a forward with the ability to score inside and from the three-point line. He was the third-leading scorer in Atlantic University Sport with a 20.2 points-per-game average.

"He was like a son to me," said Nickel, 45, who's taught at WCI for 15 years, is student activities director at the school and was Ranton's basketball coach. Ranton's father, Doug, is a guidance counsellor and physical education teacher at WCI.

Ranton graduated from Waterloo Collegiate in 2012 and was the school's athlete of the year. He also sat on the student council executive.

In addition to playing basketball at WCI, Ranton was a member of the local Wildhawks basketball team since he was in Grade 5.

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He was also a competent volleyball and badminton player and took his team to the championships of the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Association.

A funeral service is planned for next week.

- Man's body discovered below St. Jacobs train bridge