Hunter's baseball teammates will mourn Bensenville boy together
Hunter Krzysik was the try-hard guy on his baseball team, the kid who would pep up his teammates when they were in need of some offense, the one who wasn't the best talent, but had the best spirit.
That's how his coach, Bob Urena, commissioner of the Bensenville Boys and Girls Athletic Association, remembers the 13-year-old, who authorities say was shot and killed Aug. 8 by a friend while they were handling unlocked guns.
Urena described Hunter as a "hard-core" fan of baseball who loved working on his game with his father, Lester.
"When his teammates would do something awesome, he'd be the first one cheering, and when we were struggling, he'd be the first one saying, 'Come on, guys, keep your heads up,'" Urena said. "He never got too hard on himself when it didn't go well, but he loved when it did."
Fellow members of the Bensenville Boys and Girls Athletic Association plan to gather before Hunter's wake Thursday to remember him and what made him special.
At 5:30 p.m., Urena said, all current and former players and their families are invited to Field 5 at Bensenville's DiOrio Park, 251 Barron St., for a moment of silence. From there, they will walk to Geils Funeral Home at 180 S. York Road in Bensenville, where Hunter's family is holding a visitation from 4 to 9 p.m.
"We figured out that this may be a struggle for a lot of kids to go do the viewing," Urena said, "so let's do it together."
Hunter played baseball with several teams in the athletic association, always working to improve his hitting and his fielding, Urena said.
"He was, at every practice, every game, giving me everything he could give," Urena said.
One play that happened when boys in Hunter's age group started pitching to each other - instead of hitting balls lobbed by coaches - serves to define the young athlete in his coach's memory.
"Instead of running to first base like most people do when they get their first hit, he ran into my arms and gave me a hug," Urena said. "Things like that, you just can't help but smile."
A 14-year-old boy has been charged with involuntary manslaughter, reckless conduct and reckless discharge of a firearm - all felonies - in connection with Hunter's death, according to the DuPage County state's attorney's office. The office had no new information about the case Tuesday, but authorities last week called it "heartbreaking" and "horrible."
"You don't have to know Hunter to realize that it really could have been any one of us, any one of our children," Urena said.
Hunter's funeral is scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday during a Mass at St. Alexis Church, 400 W. Wood St., Bensenville. His burial will follow at 1 p.m. at St. Adalbert Catholic Cemetery & Mausoleums, 6800 N. Milwaukee Ave., Niles.
His baseball team is working to honor him with a plaque or a memorial "to stay at DiOrio field forever," his coach said.
The family is accepting donations for Hunter's final resting place through a GoFundMe page called "In Loving Memory of Hunter." The page collected more than $21,300 as of Tuesday afternoon.