Naperville teen killed in avalanche was destined for greatness, coach says

Aleksas Beiga
Aleksas Beiga Photo credit GoFundMe

NAPERVILLE (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - The Naperville Central High School student, who was killed earlier this week in an avalanche while skiing in Switzerland, is being remembered by a former coach as a source of inspiration and joy.

Aleksas "Alex" Beiga, 15, was one of three people who were killed Monday in an avalanche in the Swiss Alps.

Alex was a member of the Academy Bullets Swim Club, where Brian Brown was his coach.

“Alex was just a fun person,” Brown said. “He was driven and determined, but he just had this ability to lift up people around him. He had the ability to make people laugh. He knew when to crack a joke. He knew when to push his teammates a little bit. He knew if the coaches were having a rough time when to make us laugh, and it usually worked.”

Brown said he's sad that he won't get to see Alex mature as an adult. He was wise beyond his years, Brown said, and destined  for great things.

A GoFundMe page for the Beiga family quickly topped the $10,000 goal.

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Featured Image Photo Credit: GoFundMe