Community Corner

Hundreds Attend Memorial for Algonquin Teen

The memorial service was held last night at the Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington.

Hundreds, if not thousands, of people last night filled the Willow Creek Church auditorium to honor who .

The memorial service had Katy Perry’s “Firework” blasting as people filed in.

“Doesn’t that song describe Christian?” the Rev. Ryan Boldt, the church's group life pastor, said as the service started.

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The service included video clips from Christian’s performances in several musicals, and various people close to the teenager shared their memories of him.

Nick Reedy, a classmate at Dundee-Crown, said that Christian was known for his positive attitude and his willingness to give out unconditional love to everyone he met.

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“Everyone knew who Christian Stilwell was,” Reedy said.

At one point, Christian’s father Larry, asked if anyone in the room had ever received a hug from Christian. At least three-quarters of the people in the room held up their hand.

Larry went on to talk about how Christian was an encourager and a dreamer.

“I believe Christian realized 80 years of dreaming in his 17 years of life," he said.

Two scholarships are being established in Christian’s memory: A one-time college scholarship for a Dundee-Crown high school student from the class of 2012 and an annual scholarship for a Christian Youth Theater student. Checks should be payable to ‘The Christian Stilwell Scholarship Fund’ and mailed to: 710 Hackberry Lane, Algonquin, IL 60102.


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