He was the eternal optimist, friends said.

When rain poured over Athens on Friday and other students grudgingly donned rain boots and unfurled umbrellas, Marc Taylor Gregg grabbed the keys to his Bronco and made the best of it – he went mudding with his buddies.

But what started as a carefree evening of mudding with friends resulted in the accidental death of the University student.

Gregg, a 23-year-old junior, was killed Friday when he was ejected from his Ford Bronco and pinned underneath it in rural Oglethorpe County.

According to Tom Bufford of the Georgia State Patrol, the accident occurred at 9:52 p.m.

“The vehicle was traveling south on a dirt road, the driver went off the road,” Bufford said. “The vehicle overturned and the driver was ejected from the vehicle.”

According to a Georgia State Patrol report, Gregg was not wearing a seat belt when the Bronco overturned. John Branyan – the male passenger in the vehicle – was restrained with a seat belt and survived the accident.

Gregg was a student within the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources and planned to own forestry land in the future.

“He loved Warnell, I don’t think he really enjoyed school until he got to Warnell,” Branyan said.

Derek Mierswa remembers Gregg as “the life of the party,” and that a career outside was what he wanted.

“I think it’s mainly because of his love of the outdoors – he’s not the kind of guy who could just sit behind a desk all day,” Mierswa said.

And sit behind a desk he didn’t.

He enjoyed mountain climbing. And running cross country. And the Terrapin Brewery. And his dog, Oscar. He liked to hunt. And play football. And go mudding in his Bronco – which friends said he had modified for added safety.

“I don’t think he’d want people to mourn over him; I just think he’d want to be remembered in a happy way,” said Joseph Childs, a University senior who went to school with Gregg at Prince Avenue Christian School.

Branyan said Gregg told him hours before the accident that when he died, he just wanted friends to gather around a keg and reminisce.

And that is just what the buddies plan to do to honor their friend.

“He was a real American – everything about him,” said Blake Bliss, a junior from Peachtree City. “He loved his country and everything we stand for as Americans. He especially loved the South – he was a Southern boy. I know that Taylor loved this University and he did everything he could to get here.”

A memorial service will be held today at 2 p.m. at Beech Haven Baptist Church.

“He always seemed to make people laugh, no matter what the situation,” Bliss said.