Chris Wilcek loved big and was loved big.

He was the friend you’d call when you needed something. He was the employee who had a smile for everyone. When he was younger, he was the kid who would sit on his neighbor’s front stoop and talk for hours, never mind the decades that separated them. He was a proud big brother and a tender-hearted son.

“He was one of the kindest, most loyal souls, with a passion for cars and a deep love for his family,” his friend Angela wrote on Facebook. “He was a proud mama’s boy, and the love between them was something rare and beautiful.”

His mama is Samantha Wilcek. She was 21 when Chris was born, and she raised him on her own. He was born on Valentine’s Day, and she couldn’t imagine a better gift.

On July 17, Chris died of a heart attack, the result of a rare genetic condition that went undetected. He was 21 years old.

“We had dinner together that night,” Wilcek told me. “It was his day off. He ate, he put his plate in the sink, and 40 minutes later I went in his room to ask if he wanted some key lime pie.”

She found him unresponsive. She tried CPR, but it was too late.

“It kills me now because as a parent you know your kids always need you,” she said. “Now he’s so far away from me and I know he still needs me.”

Christmas was his........

© Chicago Tribune