Father of Aurora Christian student killed in crash: He is an exceptional son
The family of Nathanael "Nate" Kok, the Aurora Christian High School student killed in a car crash Tuesday, hopes Nate will still influence other students in coming years, via a scholarship in his name.
"Nate is an exceptional son. We look forward to when we will see Nate again in heaven," his father, Dan, said Thursday.
"We are waiting on the Lord and have all of our hope and trust in Him."
Kok said the family has established the Nate Kok Memorial Scholarship at the Aurora school "so that his influence will continue to be felt in the years ahead. Nate's favorite verse was Psalm 27:4 and he lived it each day. 'One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.' Nate is now living this in an awesome way."
Nate's funeral is Saturday at Christ Community Church of Plainfield, 12410 S. Van Dyke Road. Visitation is 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and the service is at 2 p.m. The high school choir, of which he was a member, will sing at the service. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked for donations to the scholarship fund.
Nate played golf and basketball for Aurora Christian. He was a graduate of Cross Lutheran School in Yorkville.
He is survived by his parents, Dan and Jennifer; brothers Caleb, David and Josh; and his paternal grandparents and maternal grandfather.
The 16-year-old junior was a passenger in a Mazda 6 being driven by a 17-year-old teammate as they returned from playing in a golf tournament in Byron. It hit another vehicle on Main Street Road near Elburn. The driver of the Mazda is hospitalized at Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, according to Kane County Sheriff's Lt. Pat Gengler.
No tickets have been issued, and the crash remains under investigation.
The Kok family is asking people to pray for the student's recovery.
"We also encourage everyone to continue to pray for Tyler Hammer, the other young man from Aurora Christian who was severely injured in the accident. We look forward to visiting with him soon.
"We greatly appreciate the love of our church family at Christ Community Church of Plainfield, and both the Cross Lutheran School family and the Aurora Christian family, and the amazing display of love and support from family, friends and strangers," Kok said Friday. "Our prayer is that many would come to know of the saving power of Jesus Christ through Nate's death.