Boy killed in crash near Marengo recalled as ‘bright light’ at celebration of life

Dozens of family, friends and community members gathered at the McHenry VFW Monday afternoon to remember Alan Kroll as someone who enjoyed sports, fishing and was the life of the party.

As such, his family indicated in his obituary they didn’t want the day he was laid to rest to be a completely somber occasion. So following the 11-year-old’s funeral Mass earlier that day at the Church of Holy Apostles in McHenry, his family invited the community to celebrate his life with a picnic and Wiffle ball game.

A week earlier, Alan died from injuries sustained in a car crash near Marengo when, according to authorities, another car ran a stop sign and hit the car in which Alan was a passenger.

Alan’s obituary described his love of baseball and basketball and for collecting unique rocks and coins.

At the celebration of Alan’s life, family and friends ate BBQ and played ball at the VFW, and many kids and adults alike wore jerseys in Alan’s honor. By home plate on the baseball diamond, “AK5” was written in the dirt to denote his initials and number. A Tropical Chill ice cream truck also stopped by during the celebration of life, and there were some flowers at the concession stand at one of the baseball fields at the VFW.

Alan’s grandfather, Steve Kroll, said his grandson “had an affinity for shiny things.” If something involved spinning or flipping, Alan had to do it twice, Steve Kroll recalled. Alan was also teaching himself drums and guitar, and over the winter took ski lessons and, as was his nature, had made friends wherever he went. Kroll said his grandson was also gifted at fixing things.

And on rainy days, “we were going to the trampoline park,” Steve Kroll said.

On top of all that, Alan, who lived in Wonder Lake, also raised lambs and would get up and feed them and do chores before school.

Kroll was a sixth grader at Montini Catholic School in McHenry, according to the school’s Facebook page.

Alan was also remembered in his obituary as a devout Catholic “and his faith shaped the way he lived-with kindness, gratitude, and a warm embrace for everyone he met.”

The school said in a post announcing Alan’s passing that he was a “bright light and joyful soul. A fearless adventurer, devoted friend, and faithful servant of God, his smile, spirit, and love for life will forever live in our hearts and hallways.”

Jon Van Nevel, who was one of Alan’s coaches on the Woodstock Heat travel baseball team last year, said Alan could play everywhere. Van Nevel said Alan “was a joy.”

His coaches recalled he was a competitive player but he was always smiling and happy, and also recalled that he played up an age group. And Van Nevel said there wasn’t a set of grandparents that compared to Alan’s.

Alan was on the McHenry Cobras this year.

Ed Begley, a friend of the family, recalled a time when Alan, his father Trevor and Begley went ice fishing on Channel Lake. Alan caught one of the biggest crappies the group had ever seen.

“He just rubbed it in the entire day,” Begley said, adding Alan was the life of the party.

“He literally loved life,” Begley said.