Tomás Miriti Pacheco

Tomás Miriti Pacheco, born June 28, 2001, passed away on June 16, 2026 at the age of 24. Tomás was born in Port Jefferson, New York, but the family moved to Columbus, Ohio in 2002 when he was 6 months old, and where they remain.

From the time he was in elementary school, Tomás’ writing was notably mature. As a youth, he was rarely seen without a notebook to record observations and ideas. While Tomás was in high school at Columbus Alternative High School (CAHS), his humanities teacher, Dr. Sidney Jones, rapidly recruited Tomás to the Poetry Slam Team and the In the Know Team. Tomás was always a fan of poetry and greatly valued the creative community at CAHS. Many of his peers note that his generous belief in their abilities led them to join the Poetry Team. In 2018, Tomás won 2nd place at the Columbus City Poetry Slam and helped CAHS take home the trophy.

Tomás abilities were noted in the broader community, and he received mentorship and support from Scott Woods, who frequently invited Tomás to participate in readings at Streetlight Guild. Tomás also received mentorship from the noted writer, Hanif Abdurraquib, who featured Tomás for several articles in Columbus Underground, and encouraged Tomás to take advantage of opportunities to hone his craft. Tomás participated in Interlochen’s summer writing program, OSU’s Young Writer’s Workshop, Kenyon’s Young Writers Workshop among others.

Tomás completed his BA at University of Chicago in 2023 majoring in English Language and Literature with an emphasis on Poetry. While at UChicago, Tomás participated in numerous internships at places including Spin Magazine, PEN America, The Nation, and Los Angeles Review of Books, all of which led to numerous publications. After graduating, he interned at locations including ARRAY Magazine and most recently at the Studio Museum in Harlem. During this time, he built many strong personal and professional relationships.

Tomás is recognized by his friends as gifted, kind, and generous. His friends also note his deep boisterous laugh, playful personality and loyalty. He continued to mentor others in writing and encouraged his peers not to give up by frequently asking, “What are you writing?” As one of his friends noted, he believed ‘mightily in the vast possibilities of both language and people.’

Tomás is survived by his mother, Maria Miriti (Peter Cary), grandmothers, Carolyn James, Beatriz Whitaker (Pedro Chavez), aunts, Laila McCray, Beatriz Whitaker Pacheco (Jorge ‘Jeco’ Popovic), Lena Whitaker, and Amélia Whitaker, and uncle Ricardo Whitaker. Tomás is also survived by many cousins in the US and Brazil with strong relationships with Gene Durnell (Lovisa Brown) and Kathryn Durnell. Tomás was preceded in death by his father, Manoel Augusto Whitaker Pacheco, great-grandparents, John and Evelyn Haynes, his great-aunt Monica Durnell, and his beloved brother Daniel Miriti Pacheco.

Tomás was deeply loved by many and is sorely missed. Nevertheless, as one person shared, ‘Tomás is eternal.’