This story was originally published on November 29, 2007. I just found it today and I thought it was well worth posting, even though I'm a little late.
Tonya Nurnberg cradles Keith Nurnberg Jr., her five day old son, next to the flag she received at her husband, Army Cpl. Keith Nurnberg Sr.'s September funeral. Nurnberg senior died in Iraq when his Humvee was reportedly hit by a missile. (Rebekah Raleigh photo)By JILLIAN COMPTON
Army Cpl. Keith Nurnberg died in Iraq two-and-a-half months before the son who bears his name was born, but his face is all around him.
His widow, Tonya, had pictures of Keith Nurnberg at Northern Illinois Medical Center when she gave birth about 7:55 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 24. Her Genoa City, Wis., town-house loft is filled with Keith Nurnberg’s uniform, medals, and the flag she received at his funeral.
Their wedding pictures hang in her bedroom, where the baby sleeps in a handmade bassinet donated after news spread of Keith Nurnberg’s Sept. 5 death.
The baby himself, from the shape of his eyes to his nose and his toes, looks like her husband, Tonya Nurnberg said. It’s one of the first thoughts that she had when she saw him just after he was born, 8 pounds, 8 ounces, and 21 inches long.
“All the emotions hit you,” Tonya Nurnberg said, remembering the first time she held Keith Jr. “It was just nice to have him in my arms.”
Her older sister, Capri, has been staying with her since Tonya Nurnberg and the baby came home from the hospital Monday.
They have been juggling late-night feedings, a doctor’s visit Wednesday, and details of a dinner and auction that Keith Nurnberg’s best friends are holding Saturday to raise money for the baby’s education.
The effort is not the last planned to honor the McHenry native’s service to his country and help the young family. Tonya Nurnberg said she was thankful and overwhelmed by the support.
“It’s amazing the amount of people who want to help us,” she said, as the baby slept nearby in a camouflage outfit still a little too big. “You always hear about all the bad people in the world, but there’s a lot of good people, too. And we’ve experienced so many of them.”
Keith Nurnberg’s absence is felt in many more lives. He had planned to serve as best man when his longtime friends, Jim Mowrer and Amy Sterling, get married in July. Instead, the couple asked Billy Chrisman to take his place, and the group, along with another friend, Ron Tonyan, threw themselves into raising money for Nurnberg’s son’s education.
“I don’t know if [Keith Nurnberg’s death has] even sunk in yet, because he would be gone [serving in the Army],” Sterling said. “You’d see him for two weeks, and then he’d be gone. It’s almost like you’re still waiting. I don’t know.”
The group wanted their efforts to secure Keith Jr.’s future, Sterling said.
“Maybe he’ll want to [attend] trades school. Maybe he’ll want to be a doctor. Maybe he’ll want to be a tradesman and a doctor, I don’t know,” Sterling said. “At least he’ll have the opportunity. ... He can do, be anything that he wants to.”
Saturday’s event at the Moose Lodge in Johnsburg promises to be fruitful. The 500 tickets are sold out, and the auction list includes more than 150 items. Donated items include a $1,500 Traeger grill, a $1,000 garage door, and a week’s vacation for eight to Benzie County, Mich., organizer Carol Chrisman said.
A special raffle also will take place for guests who bring a gift card for baby supplies.
Tonya Nurnberg plans to bring the baby for part of the event.
She said she wanted to spend the next few months with her baby and organizing her new life, before returning to teaching third grade at Round Lake Village Elementary in March. She will update her husband’s two close Army friends in Iraq on the baby’s progress.
Soon the baby will be big enough to grasp his Army doll with his dad’s picture in the face.
In a few years, Mowrer will carry through on his promise to teach Keith Jr. to throw a baseball, Sterling said.
“[Mowrer] had always told [Keith Sr.], ‘I will always be there for your family,’ ” Sterling said. “That is a promise that will definitely will be kept.”
To help
To donate money for Keith Nurnberg Jr.’s education fund, call Carol Chrisman at 815-790-5162 or mail a check to the Tonya Nurnberg Fund at McHenry Savings Bank, 353 Bank Drive, McHenry, IL 60050.
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