Tedros Erdachew McCoy, 22, of Houston, Texas, passed away on March 9, 2026.

Tedi was born near Aleta Wondo, Ethiopia on June 27, 2003. By age three, both his birth parents had passed due to undisclosed illnesses, and he was placed for adoption. In March of 2007, he came to Gainesville with his adoptive family, bringing joy, affection, and an infectious curiosity to everyone he met.

Tedi excelled at whatever he put his mind to. In elementary school he took an interest in running and established a lasting distance record for the Glenn Springs morning mile. While at PK Yonge middle school he competed alongside high school runners in cross country. As a teenager he became captivated by electronics, spending his free time learning circuitry and building robotics. His passion for engineering earned him acceptance to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to pursue Computer & Systems Engineering.

After leaving RPI and moving in with his father and stepmother in St. Petersburg, Florida, Tedi built a career as a software engineer specializing in Artificial Intelligence at Fullsteam, where he was quickly recognized as a capable and innovative engineer. During this time, he also submitted a patent application for a novel circuit derived from his prototype of a UV light sterilization system — a testament to the restless curiosity he carried with him throughout his life. In February of 2026, he relocated from St. Petersburg to Houston, Texas to begin life as an independent adult. Shortly after arriving, he went to meet people at a local tavern and on the way home was picked up and detained for a DUI at the Harris County Jail— an experience he described to friends and family as deeply traumatic, triggering severe anxiety and depression. On March 9, 2026, he chose to make his own exit rather than submit his fate to a system he saw as capricious and cruel.

Tedi is survived by his adoptive family — Daniel McCoy, Eva Egensteiner, and his brother Julian; his stepmother Thanyasinee Rittidech; his grandparents Sandy and Forrest Hawkins, Terry McCoy, and Elizabeth Lowe; his paternal aunt Julie McCoy D’Amico and her family; his maternal aunt Lyne Egensteiner and her family, his maternal uncle Erik Egensteiner and his family— as well as the many friends he made along the way. He was gentle and generous by nature, with a quick wit and an infectious laugh.

A memorial service will be held on Friday, June 12, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Gainesville, Florida.

In lieu of flowers, the family invites donations in Tedi's memory to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (afsp.org) or the Equal Justice Initiative (eji.org)

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