Libertyville man remembered for wit, adventurous spirit

Friends and family are mourning Libertyville resident John Francis Thumel, a Northwestern University student and Carmel Catholic High School graduate, who died Sunday after a car crash in Texas.

Thumel, 22, was the only occupant in a single-car accident early Friday near Danbury, near the Gulf Coast town of Galveston. According to police spokesman Stephen Woodard, the accident happened about 2:26 a.m. The road has a speed limit of 65 mph and was clear and dry at the time, he added. Thumel's 2014 Jeep Wrangler went into a ditch and hit a barrier, causing it to roll several times, according to Woodard.

Thumel was taken to the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston where he was pronounced dead at 6:45 a.m. Sunday, authorities said.

Thumel, a fifth-year student studying chemical engineering, planned to work for Dow Chemical where he had interned the past three years. He was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity and was described as someone who was more than a science geek and who preferred to study outdoors near the lake rather than in the library.

Thumel competed in varsity track at Carmel for four years and gained a reputation in high school for being brilliant and mischievous. He was said to be a seasoned traveler who climbed mountains to see the sunrise and was always planning his next adventure.

One mourner on Thumel's guest book page at libertyvillefuneralhome.com who met him in Texas described conversations regarding their mutual love of hunting and comparisons of wildlife between the two states. The writer said he was struck by Thumel's politeness and friendly demeanor and described him as having traits not often seen in the younger generation.

He is survived by his parents, Mike and Laure; sister, Alison; grandparents John and Rosemarie Kolenich and Louise Thumel; and, aunts, uncles and cousins.

Visitation is 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at McMurrough Funeral Chapel Ltd., 101 Park Place (Route 176 a block east of Milwaukee Avenue), Libertyville, (847) 362-2626. A funeral mass will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Joseph Church, 121 E. Maple Ave., Libertyville.

Instead of flowers donations can be made to Lurie Children's Hospital or consider making a blood donation to the American Red Cross.