Jacob Jurinek’s family had already endured unspeakable loss before the 20-year-old and his best friend, Franco Patino, 21, died while attending Travis Scott’s concert at the Astroworld Festival in Houston this weekend, relatives said.
Jurinek’s mother, Alison, died in 2011, according to a statement released by the Jurinek family Monday. Her death brought Jurinek and his father, Ron Jurinek, even closer together.
“In the decade since, Jake and Ron were inseparable — attending White Sox and Blackhawks games, sharing their love of professional wrestling, and spending weekends with extended family and friends at Jake’s favorite place, the family cottage in Southwestern Michigan,” it said.
Jacob Jurinek, 20, of Naperville, pursued art and media at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. (Family photo)
Franco Patino, 21, of Naperville, was an engineering student at the University of Dayton. (Family photo)
By all accounts, Jurinek was equally close with Patino, both of whom graduated from Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville. Patino graduated from high school in 2018, a year before Jurinek. They played football together, relatives said.
Along with football, Patino was also a member of the rugby and wrestling teams at Neuqua High School. He took his love of rugby to the University of Dayton in Ohio where he created his own team to play against nearby universities. There, Patino studied mechanical engineering technology and minored in human-movement biomechanics, both of which his parents say was his passion.
Jurinek pursued art and media at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, where he interned in the athletic department as a graphic arts and media intern. According to recent Instagram posts, Jurinek wrote he had been learning how to use graphic design software since he was 15 years old and hoped to turn his graphic design into a business after graduation.
His son’s death just weeks before his 21st birthday has left “a huge hole in our lives,” the elder Jurinek said.
“Jake was beloved by his family and by his seemingly countless number of friends for his contagious enthusiasm, his boundless energy, and his unwavering positive attitude. He was an avid fan of music, an artist, a son, a best friend to many, and a loving and beloved cousin, nephew, and grandson. Always deeply committed to his family, he was affectionately known as ‘Big Jake’ by his adoring younger cousins, a name befitting of his larger-than-life personality,” his father said.
Patino was the treasurer of his university’s Alpha Psi Lambda chapter, a co-educational Latino interest fraternity, the president of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and a member of the ETHOS Center, a campus program where engineering students provide humanitarian-focused services and conduct research projects internationally. Patino’s family said in a statement he was working in research and development for an engineering co-op in Mason, Ohio, before he died.
“He will always be remembered for his fun, goofy, energetic and loving self,” Patino’s fraternity posted on Instagram. “He has committed so much passion and time for this chapter and to being a leader of the University of Dayton.”
Both Jurinek and Patino’s parents said they found comfort knowing their sons had touched so many people during their lives who “will carry a piece of him from now on.”
Check back for updates.
With corruption probes and anti-violence initiatives swirling, top federal prosecutor in Chicago to stay on as four-year term expires
49m
Bail denied for Bensenville man accused of shooting officer 8 times as police responded to domestic disturbance call
2h
Breaking News Chicago has five competing casino bids. Here’s a look at what’s proposed, and where.
5:00 AM
News Lone survivor in Kyle Rittenhouse shooting expected to take witness stand and describe painful night of chaos, gunfire
5:00 AM
Ask Amy Ask Amy: Parents struggle to cope with child’s antics
12:05 AM