thedrifter
04-16-08, 07:38 AM
Oak Lawn native who had two tours in Iraq dies in car crash
April 16, 2008
By ERIKA WURST, Sun-Times News Group
Karen Thompson was waiting patiently for her 26-year-old son to show up for his stepsister's birthday dinner.
What was taking so long? She had just spoken to him; he was on his way.
"Scott always answered when mom called," Thompson said, recalling the night that changed her life. "I couldn't understand why he didn't answer."
He never would answer again.
Scott Biesterfeld, an Oak Lawn native and Marine who completed two tours in Iraq, was killed on the night of March 30 when his 2005 Dodge Neon crossed into the southbound lane and hit a 1995 Chevrolet Blazer on Route 25 in North Aurora. His family and friends assume the fatigued young man fell asleep at the wheel.
"He was such a tough guy," said Erika Buys, Biesterfeld's friend since they attended Simmons Middle School in Oak Lawn. "(When he left for Iraq) he said, 'Nothing's going to happen to me over there.' He was right, nothing did."
Biesterfeld, who was living in Aurora at the time of his death, was a standout in track, football and on the basketball court at Oak Lawn Community High School until he graduated in 2000. He also was also a standout in life, Buys said. He was nurturing and stubborn, proud and ambitious.
"I don't think Scott ever knew exactly what he wanted to do with his life," she said. "But he's always been someone who was very proud. Proud of his country, himself and everything important in his life ... He's the kind of person who would put his life on the line for other people without a second thought."
While deployed, Biesterfeld looked forward to coming home and reuniting with his family, his wife and friends he'd known for more than a decade. But as his marriage began to crumble, the young Marine had trouble sleeping and was constantly on the go - which friends believe ultimately led to his fatal accident. He would drive from Oak Park to Naperville to Aurora on a daily basis to see friends - his new English bulldog puppy, Gunner, by his side.
"The dog had a diaper bag," Buys said with a chuckle. "Gunner was his new right-hand man."
This is the second time Thompson has had to deal with the death of a son. Biesterfeld's older brother, Eric, his only sibling, was injured in an accident while a student at Eastern Illinois University. He held on for about a year before he passed away in 2000.
Mark Leipart also became friends with Biesterfeld at Simmons. The two played on the basketball team at Oak Lawn Community High School, where Biesterfeld spent three years on varsity. "Six-foot-3 and very, very muscular," Biesterfeld played center/power forward and was named an All-Area Boys Basketball Honorable Mention by this newspaper. He once hit a pair of clutch free throws with 17 seconds left on the clock to vault Oak Lawn over Romeoville.
"He was an excellent basketball player," Leipart said. "I know he was an all-conference high jumper in track, and he was an awesome, awesome linebacker in football."
One of Leipart's favorite memories of his friend is of driving with him to basketball games in Biesterfeld's Geo Metro while blaring Metallica.
"The terrible thing is the relief everybody feels when one of their close friends makes it back - and then his life went into pieces when he got home," Leipart said.
Biesterfeld went to bricklaying school after graduating from high school but never worked as a bricklayer. He joined the Marines in 2003. At the time of his death, he was hoping to secure a spot with the Hometown Fire Protection District, a volunteer department. He would have started classes and training last week.
Hometown fire Capt. Anthony Volpe, who interviewed Biesterfeld, said everything about him indicated he would make a great firefighter.
"He definitely carried himself in a way that would be productive for the district," he said. "He was going to be one of the best guys."
Contributing: Nathaniel Zimmer
Ellie
April 16, 2008
By ERIKA WURST, Sun-Times News Group
Karen Thompson was waiting patiently for her 26-year-old son to show up for his stepsister's birthday dinner.
What was taking so long? She had just spoken to him; he was on his way.
"Scott always answered when mom called," Thompson said, recalling the night that changed her life. "I couldn't understand why he didn't answer."
He never would answer again.
Scott Biesterfeld, an Oak Lawn native and Marine who completed two tours in Iraq, was killed on the night of March 30 when his 2005 Dodge Neon crossed into the southbound lane and hit a 1995 Chevrolet Blazer on Route 25 in North Aurora. His family and friends assume the fatigued young man fell asleep at the wheel.
"He was such a tough guy," said Erika Buys, Biesterfeld's friend since they attended Simmons Middle School in Oak Lawn. "(When he left for Iraq) he said, 'Nothing's going to happen to me over there.' He was right, nothing did."
Biesterfeld, who was living in Aurora at the time of his death, was a standout in track, football and on the basketball court at Oak Lawn Community High School until he graduated in 2000. He also was also a standout in life, Buys said. He was nurturing and stubborn, proud and ambitious.
"I don't think Scott ever knew exactly what he wanted to do with his life," she said. "But he's always been someone who was very proud. Proud of his country, himself and everything important in his life ... He's the kind of person who would put his life on the line for other people without a second thought."
While deployed, Biesterfeld looked forward to coming home and reuniting with his family, his wife and friends he'd known for more than a decade. But as his marriage began to crumble, the young Marine had trouble sleeping and was constantly on the go - which friends believe ultimately led to his fatal accident. He would drive from Oak Park to Naperville to Aurora on a daily basis to see friends - his new English bulldog puppy, Gunner, by his side.
"The dog had a diaper bag," Buys said with a chuckle. "Gunner was his new right-hand man."
This is the second time Thompson has had to deal with the death of a son. Biesterfeld's older brother, Eric, his only sibling, was injured in an accident while a student at Eastern Illinois University. He held on for about a year before he passed away in 2000.
Mark Leipart also became friends with Biesterfeld at Simmons. The two played on the basketball team at Oak Lawn Community High School, where Biesterfeld spent three years on varsity. "Six-foot-3 and very, very muscular," Biesterfeld played center/power forward and was named an All-Area Boys Basketball Honorable Mention by this newspaper. He once hit a pair of clutch free throws with 17 seconds left on the clock to vault Oak Lawn over Romeoville.
"He was an excellent basketball player," Leipart said. "I know he was an all-conference high jumper in track, and he was an awesome, awesome linebacker in football."
One of Leipart's favorite memories of his friend is of driving with him to basketball games in Biesterfeld's Geo Metro while blaring Metallica.
"The terrible thing is the relief everybody feels when one of their close friends makes it back - and then his life went into pieces when he got home," Leipart said.
Biesterfeld went to bricklaying school after graduating from high school but never worked as a bricklayer. He joined the Marines in 2003. At the time of his death, he was hoping to secure a spot with the Hometown Fire Protection District, a volunteer department. He would have started classes and training last week.
Hometown fire Capt. Anthony Volpe, who interviewed Biesterfeld, said everything about him indicated he would make a great firefighter.
"He definitely carried himself in a way that would be productive for the district," he said. "He was going to be one of the best guys."
Contributing: Nathaniel Zimmer
Ellie