Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Chris Wilcek loved big and was loved big.

He was the friend you’d call when you needed something. He was the employee who had a smile for everyone. When he was younger, he was the kid who would sit on his neighbor’s front stoop and talk for hours, never mind the decades that separated them. He was a proud big brother and a tender-hearted son.

“He was one of the kindest, most loyal souls, with a passion for cars and a deep love for his family,” his friend Angela wrote on Facebook. “He was a proud mama’s boy, and the love between them was something rare and beautiful.”

His mama is Samantha Wilcek. She was 21 when Chris was born, and she raised him on her own. He was born on Valentine’s Day, and she couldn’t imagine a better gift.

On July 17,

See Full Page