Stephen Nawrocki is mourning the loss of not only his 60-year-old brother, but who he also knew as his teacher, carpenter, psychologist and a priest. Michael “taught me about love and kindness and acceptance and tolerance,” Stephen said of his brother, who had Down syndrome, in a moving message on social media.
He was “a carpenter, he showed me how to build relationships on honesty and trust, that these attributes are the nails and screws that keep things together and solid,” Stephen added.
Looking back, he remembers how the two grew up playing on the same baseball team and Michael’s life-long love of the Chicago Cubs. And if anyone ever made fun of Michael, Stephen always had his older brother’s back, getting into more than one fight defending him, he recalled.
But Michael’s disability was ultimately a blessing, according to Stephen. He did so much more for his family than he will ever know. Now he just hopes Michael knows how much he was loved and how much he will be missed.
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