Voi Tunuufi’s parents say the former Husky’s death has devastated loved ones as teammates, friends and the UW community rally around the family.
SEATTLE — Alofa Tunuufi says she was awakened by police knocking at her family’s door around 2 a.m. on May 4. Minutes later, her world changed forever.
“When the cops told me Voi didn’t make it to the hospital that night I was devastated,” Alofa said. “Until now it’s just unreal that he is gone.”
Her son — former University of Washington defensive lineman Voi Tunuufi — had been killed in a crash near the family’s home in Utah. He was 23 years old.
“Then they told me that he didn’t make it to the hospital and I’m like no, Voi is in the back because I looked and the light was still on in the barn,” she said.
Now, as family members try to process an unimaginable loss, they are sharing memories of the young man they say meant everything to them and to so many others.
“He’s a good example to everybody around him and to my family,” Alofa said.
Voi was born in 2003 and his parents said he started playing football when he was 7 years old. He went on to play defensive line at the University of Washington from 2021 through 2024.
But his parents say what defined him most had nothing to do with football.
“He loved his sisters very much,” Alofa said. “He loved to be goofy sometimes, he loved to joke, he jokes around a lot.”
And perhaps most memorably: “He laughed louder than everybody.”
His father, Lauama Tunuufi, says he never missed one of his son’s football games from little league through high school. When he could, he also traveled to watch Voi play for the Huskies in Seattle.
“I didn’t have this kind of feeling before and I know I lost my mom, my dad and I miss them,” Lauama said. “But missing a son, I don’t know if I’ll ever forget this.”
The grief now stretches far beyond the family’s home.
Former teammates, friends and members of the UW community have flooded social media with tributes and messages of support. An online fundraiser has been created to help the family with funeral expenses.
“The boys from Seattle, the UW, they’re hurt too, they miss him,” Lauama said. “That’s our family in Seattle, we’ll never forget them. A lot of memories on that field where my son was playing with them.”
He says he hopes to someday return to Husky Stadium.
“Maybe one day I’m going to come over there and watch a game because I believe Voi is going to be over there if I come over there in Seattle at UW,” he said.
As support continues pouring in, Alofa says she’s discovering just how many people her son impacted.
“There’s so many things about Voi that I didn’t know about him until he passed on Monday,” she said. “There’s so many, many kids that showed love and support.”
She says that love reflects exactly who her son was.
“I know that a lot of his friends like and love him because of the way he is,” Alofa said. “He put everybody before him.”
Even through overwhelming grief, Voi’s parents say they are holding onto both faith and memory.
“I’m so proud of him,” Alofa said.
“We miss him very much,” Lauama added. “But I know we’re going to meet him again.”
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