Drew Williams, a star athlete at Lane who was paralyzed after suffering a catastrophic brain injury during a game in 2013, died on July 22. He was 30.
Williams was a standout football and baseball player at Lane and a popular figure around the massive campus at Addison and Western.
“He had this ‘cat that swallowed the canary’ smile,” said Fred Proesel, who was Lane’s head coach when Williams was playing. “He was a leader without seeking to be a leader just because of his personality.”
Jack McLaughlin, a year older than Williams, was Lane’s quarterback when the latter was a junior,
“He was extremely sure of himself at the time and it was infectious,” McLaughlin said. “It made you want to be around him. Anyone he ever met he was instantly friends with.”
Williams’ playful nature showed up in one of his off-field activities.
“He had this hobby of collecting school IDs,” former teammate Joe Loch said. “He’d collect them like Pokemon cards. He’d try to get the popular senior ones.”
“I’m pretty sure he stole mine at one point,” another former teammate, Tony Abreu, said with a laugh.
Danny Carlson, another football teammate, met Williams when they played youth football together.
“He’s literally been the best athlete I’ve ever seen,” Carlson said. “Drew was a freak show. Drew was always a better athlete than I was, a better friend than I was, a better person than I was.”
Williams was recognized as one of the best players in the city when Lane played Dunbar on Oct. 14. 2013. During the game he collapsed on the field. He was diagnosed with a subdural hematoma and had emergency brain surgery.
After spending time at Advocate Christ Medical Center, Lurie Children’s Hospital and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, Williams was able to return home in May 2014.
Over the years, there were other hospitalizations and round-the-clock care from nurses and Williams’ parents, Jodi and Chris.
Through it all, his friends from the Lane days made sure Williams and his family remained in their lives.
He attended friends’ weddings and they were at his 30th birthday party this summer.
“We wanted to be there for him,” McLaughlin said. “We talked to his mom, we talked to his dad all the time.”
“He was like the glue guy,” Abreu said. “He brought us all together.”
Williams’ survivors include his parents and three siblings.
A visitation and prayer service have been held. There will be a celebration of life at 11 a.m. Friday at Biagio Events Banquet Hall, 4242 N. Central Ave. in Chicago.