Cub Scouts honor fallen comrade with rocket launch
Matthew Lewnard was looking forward to attending a model rocket launch on Sunday, the annual summer kick-off event for Cub Scout Pack 55 in Mount Prospect.
Instead, the second grade troop members launched one of the rockets, with Matthew's name etched on the side, in his memory.
The 8-year old died Thursday of what doctors suspect was myocarditis, or an inflammation of the heart caused by a rare strep virus.
"He had the flu, and apparently that exacerbated the symptoms," said his father, Terry. "We never knew he had strep; there was no fever or sore throat. But then, Matthew was a resilient little boy, who never complained."
The illness struck swiftly and took the otherwise healthy child within two days. Officials with St. Raymond de Penafort Catholic School called second grade families on Thursday morning and later met with them and made counselors available to the children.
A special service for his second grade classmates will take place at 9:30 a.m. today, before an 11 a.m. funeral Mass, at St. Raymond's Church, 301 S. I-Oka Ave. in Mount Prospect.
Classmates remembered Matthew as a bright child, who had a variety of interests, and was popular with his peers.
As they prepared for Sunday's rocket launch at Melas Park in Mount Prospect, Matthew already had glued and assembled his model, days ahead of time.
"He was very high achieving, and always went above and beyond," says Ann Cantieri of Mount Prospect, whose son John was in Matthew's class and Scout troop.
Family members fondly recalled a trip Memorial Day weekend to Illinois Railway Museum in Union, where Matthew was thrilled to take a ride on the Nebraska Zephyr with his brother and cousins.
He also loved to swim and snorkel, and he had traveled with his family and maternal grandfather, Allen Jaglowski, a master dive instructor, to Honduras, where Matthew had snorkeled in the coral reef.
"He aspired to be a scuba diver," his father said.
Terry Lewnard added that he and his wife, Candace, and younger son, Michael have been overwhelmed by love and support from Mount Prospect families.
"We just want to show our gratitude to the people of the parish, and of the community," Terry Lewnard said. "The outpouring of support has been unbelievable, with all the meals that have been prepared, and help around our house. We can't thank them enough."
Besides his immediate family, Matthew is survived by his uncles, Br. James Lewnard, CSV, and Joe (Judy) Lewnard, both of Arlington Heights; and Kevin Jaglowski of Franklin, Wis.; as well as his maternal grandmother, Patricia Jaglowski of Addison, maternal grandfather, Allen (Gloria Gigele) Jaglowski of Chicago, and great grandmother, Lillian McCune.