advertisement

Wheaton man's family and friends carry on legacy after his death from ALS

Brian Schnurstein, a gifted athlete and beloved member of the Wheaton community, spent the last five years of his life educating the public about the disease — ALS — that struck him at age 29.

“I think that's why God picked Brian to endure this,” said Ray Schnurstein, Brian's older brother. “The number of people he touched is never ending.”

Brian, a multisport athlete at Wheaton Warrenville South High School, died May 19.

After the initial diagnosis, Brian and his family pored over ALS research, attended the annual Greater Chicago Chapter's Walk to Defeat ALS, advocated for continued research funding in Washington D.C. and reached out to celebrities with the disease. Brian also started a blog, which he updated as recently as February. Brian's tenacity inspired everyone around him and manifested itself in his hometown, although he lived in Portage, Michigan.

Brian graduated from Wheaton Warrenville South in 1999 after wrestling, playing safety for two state championship football teams and playing baseball all four years. At Millikin University he was a four-year starting pitcher. Bob Quinn, Brian's high school baseball coach and now athletic director for Naperville North High School, remembers not only Brian's athletic prowess but his character.

“Brian was an unbelievably gifted baseball player,” Quinn said. “But, most importantly, he was a great young man. He was a quiet leader, a role model for all of his teammates.”

Several months after his diagnosis, Brian's friends, colleagues and classmates organized the first Swingin' 4 Schnur charity golf outing, dinner and silent auction. The event was meant to help offset the increasing medical costs bearing down on the Schnurstein family, but it did much more.

“Without an event like that and the support in the community, we wouldn't have been able to live the life we lived,” said Lindsay Schnurstein, Brian's wife of 10 years. “The community has no idea the impact they had on the quality of life that he lived.”

Lindsay said the ALS Association was able to provide the Schnursteins with some of Brian's equipment, but the family would not have been able to pay for everything that helped make his day-to-day life possible without the outpouring of support.

Throughout his illness, Brian remained his caring, determined and witty self. Even when he lost almost all control of voluntary muscle movement, he would type messages to his family members to make them laugh. He even continued to work for his employer, the Stryker Corp., from home until the very end.

“He made the most of every day,” said Ray Schnurstein, Brian's father. “He continued to work and provide for his family. There wasn't any 'give up' in his vocabulary.”

The golf outing was held the past five years at Arrowhead Golf Club in Wheaton, and organizers hope to keep it going. It is tentatively scheduled for July 21. Brian's friends also created a YouCaring.com site last year, which raised more than $22,000 for the family.

Not all funds raised went directly to the family, however. Tim Brylka, who had known Brian since their days in youth football, held his fifth DuPage Valley Conference Step Up to the Plate fundraising event May 17. He said Brian's push for awareness not only motivated him but encouraged Western Michigan University's head baseball coach to launch the “Strike Out ALS” campaign and another of Brian's teammates from his baseball days at Millikin University to begin an ALS Day of his own.

Quinn, who coached both Brian and Brylka, is amazed but not surprised by the impact Brian left.

“As I stand back and look at the community, he's inspired it,” Quinn said. “Brian was the reason we choose to be coaches.”

A memorial service will be held from 1-8 p.m. Friday at Williams-Kampp Funeral Home in Wheaton with a tribute at 4 p.m. Visit www.lifestorynet.com to archive a favorite memory or sign Brian's online guest book. Donations may be made to ALS TDI or Kylie's Education Fund.

Benefit set for Wheaton man with Lou Gehrig's disease

DVC baseball teams joining fight against ALS

Going beyond the ice buckets to the real challenges ALS poses

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.