Wesley VanValkenburg Obituary

Wesley VanValkenburg attended Pioneer Central High School in Yorkshire, NY. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about Wesley Vanvalkenburg.

Graduation Year	Class of 1997
Date of Passing	Jun 21, 2009
About	Illinois man Killed in Big Rig Accident On Kauai Posted by Wayne Parsons June 28, 2009 3:04 PM Wesley VanValkenburg was a new father visiting Kauai to pay respects to his in-laws when he became the victim of a freak accident that led to a truck collision. On a warm Saturday morning a woman lost control of her motorcycle, veered into the path of a truck that struck the rental car carrying VanValkenburg and his family. The family and the motorcycle driver survived but Mr. VanValkenburg tragically died. The Jun VanValkenburg and their one year old son grant survived the crash that occurred near the Waialua Golf Course. I don’t know how to prevent these tragedies but the losses are so huge that they are hard to comprehend. The family has lost their shining star and his wife and son will have to go on without a man who stood out as a leader and protector: Thornburg says her brother never took life for granted. Back in 2004 in Chicago, a last-minute shift change opened his eyes after two fire trucks collided killing one of the paramedics. "Wes was supposed to be sitting in that passenger seat, where the guy died in the fire truck and he had switched out a shift. All he did after that was go to the family and helped the family that was lost instead of himself," said Thornburg. His family says he was a small-town boy who made a big impact on everyone he came across and knowing he’s now in a better place is helping them heal. "Huge loss, he’s a person who touched more lives than any of the other of us combined," said Thornburg. Back home in Machias, Illinois the suffering is felt throughout the community. All of Hawaii sends deep and sincere condolences for this tragic loss.