On October 6th, 2017, Nick Hanson made a decision that would change his life and the ones around him forever. Nick was a 19-year-old college student at Waubonsee Community College in Sugar Grove, Illinois. Graduating from Geneva High School in 2016, it was not unusual for a good number of graduates to attend Waubonsee for the following two years. In Nick’s case, he didn’t try his hardest in high school, didn’t know what he wanted to do after graduating, and wanted to save himself money by attending Waubonsee, until that fateful date he died in October. The one downside of going to a community college is that most of your friends from high school leave to attend schools farther away. This can be hard for some people to cope with and they need to do something to keep them busy. In the year and a half Nick was at Waubonsee, he turned his life around.
He came to the realization that he was going to be entering the real world and started working on everything he did in life in a more serious way.
“He was really focused in school, whereas in high school he wasn’t.” Nick’s younger brother Ian Hanson said, “He worked out every day, he worked at a local restaurant 4-5 times a week. He really wanted to better his future.”
In a sense, Nick was turning his life around. Nobody in high school thought that Nick was going down the wrong path, but he definitely could have put more work into his classes and schoolwork. The one thing that stuck out about Nick was that he was worried about others, before he worried about himself.
Ian was told by a fellow classmate of Nick that, “when they talked to him, one thing they noticed is that he never talked about himself once in a conversation.”
He was always very humble and wanted to know how that other person was doing rather than himself. I remember the last time I saw Nick. He came to one of our baseball games in high school, a year after he graduated, and said hello and immediately asked how I was doing and how things were in my life. Not concerned about what he had been up to in his own life, he wanted to know how I was.
Matt Simpson, a lifelong friend of Nick, described him as someone who was always happy and living in the moment.
“Nick was someone who always had a smile on his face. Even at the miserable 5 a.m. tryouts where everyone else was down and tired, he was happy and energetic.” Simpson said, “He loved life and no matter what he was going through, he tried to make everyone around him happier.”
On Thursday, October 5th, 2017, Nick attended a party at an apartment near Elgin Community College. It was a normal night of dancing to loud music, taking shots, and drinking beers for Nick and his friends who attended Elgin. They were all having a good time and watching the MLB playoffs. Marko Rueth was one of the many attending the party this night and lived in the apartment where it was at. Nick and Marko were best friends throughout high school and community college.
“The night that it happened, Nick came up to me and asked me how life is going.” Rueth said, “He cared about your actual self being and wanted to know about how your life was going and talk about the big topics. He was open to letting your heart out.”
This was the kind of person Nick was.
Later in the night, Nick made the decision to ride shotgun with another acquaintance, Raphael Peruzza, who was drinking that night as well. At 2:16 a.m. on Friday morning, authorities reached the scene where the driver’s car flew into the air and landed on its side, bursting into flames. Peruzza was able to escape, bloodied, and authorities were called. When the authorities reached the scene, Nick was still trapped in the front seat with the flames engulfing the car. Peruzza urged authorities to “help my friend,” but at this point it was too late. Nick Hanson was dead at the age of 19.
Rueth now only has memories of his close friend, that he holds dearly to him. Rueth recalls, just like Ian, how Nick was turning his life around.
“He got really into working out and doing things the right way and treating his body the right way. Very outgoing, very personable, he was always happy and there was never a dull moment.” Rueth said, “He was the life of the party and always wanted a crowd. He never wanted people to be left out.”
I always saw Nick as a hard worker, especially in the gym. In high school, people used to call him “Nicky Legs” because he had such strong legs and loved working out. He inspired all of us to be strong like himself and put in the time to do so.
He carried this on into college where he would work out every day, while juggling school and his job.
“He made the dean’s list about a week before he passed away.” Ian said, “He was just really trying to better himself as a person.”
Personally, this has stuck with me ever since the moment I found out that he was killed. There isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t think about Nick and what he meant to me and everyone else around him. I get my drive and determination to get up and work as hard as possible from him. Do the things you love for those that no longer can.
Nick loved all aspects of life, but he was heavily invested into sports. The Chicago Blackhawks, Bulls, Cubs, and the University of Alabama were his favorite teams to follow. Whether it was watching or playing, Nick loved the competition within sports. Each year, the Hanson family has a pick-up football game around Thanksgiving called the Turkey Bowl. To remember Nick for the Turkey Bowl this past year, they hung his jersey up in the stands as they played, knowing he was watching down on them.
Each and every time I take a step on a baseball field, I think of Nick. I play for him.
It has been a learning experience for everyone connected with Nick and those within the community.
“Nick’s passing taught me that we should never take life for granted and that tragedy can happen to anyone.” Simpson said, “It’s changed me in a way in which I appreciate the little things more.”
Those closest to him have all learned the same thing. Mistakes like this are undoable and we must change as a response.
The city of Geneva rallied around this tragedy and his family to help remember Nick in the best possible ways. T-shirts, wristbands, and tattoos all to remember him. But the best of all was an $18,000 scoreboard for the varsity baseball field at Geneva High School dedicated to him with his name on it. A GoFundMe page for his family was created and raised $25,545 in a little over a month. It was incredible see the community rally around the Hanson family and help them get through a time of loss.
NDH Forever in Our Hearts X VI MMXVII.
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