Barrington boy beloved at Grove Avenue Elementary dies from heart ailment

A 10-year-old Barrington boy described as beloved by other students and teachers at his school died on New Year's Eve from an inflammation of his heart muscle, officials said Tuesday.

Johnny Towler, a fourth-grade student at Grove Avenue Elementary School, died while undergoing treatment at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

Grove Principal Katie Matthews informed parents of Johnny's unexpected death in an email. Classes at Barrington Area Unit District 220 resumed Tuesday, ending a winter break.

"It is with great sadness that I share with you news of the passing of one of our students, Johnny Towler," Matthews wrote. "He was a fourth grade student in Ms. (Natalie) Clark's class and he was very much loved by his peers and the Grove staff."

District 220 spokeswoman Samantha Ptashkin said Johnny died from myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle. It initially was believed Johnny died from flu complications, but school district officials clarified Tuesday afternoon that he died from myocarditis, a condition the Mayo Clinic says typically is caused by a viral infection.

Among the parents who received word about Johnny's death was Patricia Cellupica, who collected her first-grade twin girls Tuesday afternoon at the elementary school. Grove is a neighborhood school serving kindergarten through fifth grade, where many parents just walk over to get their children after classes are finished for the day.

Cellupica said her concern is with Johnny's family.

"You want to help," Cellupica said. "You want your children to know to be kind and to be welcoming and to be considerate of other people's emotions and other kids' emotions, no matter what those might be."

Additional counselors were available at Grove on Tuesday for any student needing support.

Medical examiner's spokeswoman Becky Schlikerman said the office is not investigating the boy's death and will not be making an official determination of its cause.