Tribute to AJ

Evan Sasiela ‘14

Co-Editor In Chief

It was a cold and cloudy Wednesday afternoon in a full St. Helen Church where our community said goodbye to Aj Stewart. Aj was an 18 year old senior at Heritage who attended St. Helen and St. Stephen Catholic Schools. He passed away on Sunday, January 19, after a hard fought battle with cancer. However, even though he is gone he will not be forgotten. Aj was the kind of kid that you just wanted to be around. He was always energetic, driven, happy, and friendly. I have gone to school with Aj all of grade school and he was a joy to be around. Aj was always short in size but that didn’t stop him from making the clutch shot in basketball, getting the big hit in baseball, scoring the big goal in hockey, or even coming up with the big tackle as a nose guard in football. He also played lacrosse at Heritage. Aj played those five sports throughout his life, and skated, and was successful at each one.  Aj was also a big gamer, as he stood outside in the cold for five hours with Nouvel’s own Eduardo Serrato to receive an Xbox One at Best Buy. However, what Aj did as an athlete and a gamer never will be as great as what he was as a person. I will always remember two things about Aj: his courage and how he lived life. Aj was the strongest kid I have met after battling cancer. He had a fight and drive like no one else. Aj had the most contagious smile and personality and made everyone’s day better.  At one of the most emotional funerals I have ever attended, which included a letter of recommendation to Columbia College Chicago where Aj wanted to attend to study video game design and a beautiful instrumental of “Amazing Grace” by a bagpipe player, I remembered these things about him. As we drove to the cemetery, the sun came out and I just wondered if it was a sign from Aj telling us “every little thing’s gonna be alright,” which is a lyric from Bob Marley, who Aj admired. Throughout life, I, and you all, should follow Aj’s way of living by making the most out of each day and to “never give up.”