University of Wisconsin senior Henry Mackaman was a “family man” with a contagious smile and an all-around “cool” kid.

Remembered by friends, family and members of the Madison community for his outstanding talent, creativity and intelligence, Mackaman, 21, died Thursday evening of bacterial meningitis.

A St. Paul, Minn., native and senior at UW majoring in English and economics, Mackaman was set to graduate in May, until contracting the illness suddenly.

According to Mackaman’s uncle, Dan Mackaman, Mackaman checked himself into Meriter Hospital Saturday night but was sent home shortly after only to return with escalated symptoms Monday.

He was declared brain dead Wednesday and removed from life support Thursday evening, Dan said. As Mackaman had requested, his organs will be donated.

Outside of school and work, Mackaman dedicated his time to Twin Cities-based dream-pop band, Phantom Vibration, which he helped start in high school and continued to develop throughout college.

From a very musical family, Henry picked up the guitar at a young age and since then, rarely set it down, his uncle, who is also a musician, said.

To Dan, Mackaman was a hard-working artist and personable young man. A self-taught musician, Mackaman was always experimenting with different styles, Dan said, noting his involvement with the creative side of his community.

“Life just came effortlessly to him,” Dan said. “His smile was contagious.”

In addition to playing in a band, Mackaman was also a DJ for a show on WSUM Student Radio and wrote a play that won a competition in Madison, Dan said, adding Mackaman was never one to brag about it.

Two of his bandmates, Daniel Clinton-McCausland and Gunnar Kauth, remember their friend in the same positive and creative light.

Henry was deeply devoted to Phantom Vibration, Clinton-McCausland said, and was always trying to improve his own playing and the band as a whole.

“We were perfect musical counterparts,” Clinton-McCausland said. “It was so gratifying to go through the developmental stages of struggling to play the most simple of parts on our first EP to him tearing through incredible lines for our album.”

Even outside the band, Kauth remembers Mackaman as first and foremost a “family man,” who would come home from spring break to play cards with his grandfather and was always dedicated to making sure that his friends and family knew how much he cared about them.

“He was kind and caring and nurturing. Fill in the blank with a positive adjective and that’s Henry,” Kauth said, remembering Mackaman as one of the most genuine people he knew. “It was a privilege for everyone that got to know him.”

For Dan, one of the hardest parts of losing his nephew was the realization that in Mackaman’s death a friendship was also stolen.

Dan said Mackaman was one of the “coolest kids he knew.”

The Mackaman family plans to hold a “musician’s wake” memorial for Mackaman next weekend in St. Paul, Dan said, hoping to give his many musical friends and family members a chance to celebrate Mackaman’s memory through song – the most apt way they know how.

“It was an amazing life,” Dan said.

University Health Services executive director Sarah Van Orman said bacterial meningitis, or meningococcal disease, is not highly contagious, but can come on and seriously escalate very quickly. It can be spread only through very close contact with persons carrying the bacteria in their nasal or oral secretions, Van Orman said, adding this case does not present a health risk to UW.

UHS offers grief counseling and Van Orman urges any struggling student to talk to one of their resources.