Turning Hearts

Tessa was born in Peoria, IL on March 20, 2006. She was the youngest of 5 and the only biological child of Rich & Michelle. She was loved beyond measure and brought so much happiness to her family.
She was a talented and competitive athlete her whole life with soccer being her main sport. She had a sassy personality at times but was a true empathic soul at heart. She cared deeply about those she loved and was a loyal friend. She loved sports, music, art and animals. She adored being an aunt.
She was diagnosed with an aggressive form of sarcoma in her chest wall during her freshman year of high school. She endured nearly two years of treatment before passing just four days after turning 17. Her spirit is kept alive through the foundation that bears her name. She was loved by many and will never be forgotten.

Nick was a loving father to 4 beautiful children, Mikayla, Emily, Jacob and Hollis. He was an amazing husband to Melody. He was the life of the party, a cut up and jokester. He was a family man who always made time for his family both immediate and extended. He loved big and smiled ever bigger! He was good with his hands and creativity was his strong suit. He could make just about anything out of some old junk. Though his time with his children was short he was a great teacher in the time they had and taught them about many things both nature and craftsmanship and a few things in the kitchen. Cooking was another of his passions and he did it so well. He lived life to the fullest and left imprints on a lot of hearts.

David was a unique individual who deeply loved his family and friends. He was a gregarious person and often the center of attention in a room where everyone could feel his presence or be affected by him in some way, shape or form. Family gatherings often started with the question, “when will David be here,” followed by a sense of elation when he did arrive. A multi-faceted young man, he could easily shift between being a philosopher, comedian, dreamer or political debater. He drew people into conversations ranging from current events to talking about a favorite show or video game to discussing ideas on how we could solve some of the world’s biggest issues. We often left these conversations with a new perspective as a result of David’s insights.