His obituary:
Corey Alexander Nielsen, 29, of Batavia passed away August 25, 2008*, at his residence in Urbana, IL, from a heart attack due to premature hardening of the arteries accelerated by diabetes and paraplegia. Corey died while living his dream to the fullest: being independent, studying Computer Science at Illinois's top-ranked Engineering College, and serving others. Corey is the son of Boyd and Christy (nee Wagner) Nielsen. Corey earned a 1st Dan Black Belt from the American Kyuki-Do Federation (1991) two years before becoming paraplegic. Corey earned his Eagle Scout rank (1996) and Vigil Honor in the Order of the Arrow, then graduated from Batavia High School with Honors (1997), completing his studies between several extensive hospitilizations and amputation of his left leg. Corey completed an Associate of Science degree at Waubonsee Community College between work as a contract programmer, Web developer, and another major hospitalization before enrolling at UI (2006). He is survived by his parents, three sisters: Karen Marie Nielsen (Eric) Brown and their daughter Olivia Marie Brown, Amelia and Hannah Nielsen; his paternal grandmother Metta Nielsen; maternal grandfather Jerome (Barbara Lindeke) Wagner; maternal grandmother Alice Wagner; fourteen aunts and uncles, their spouses, and many cousins. [Visitation, funeral and burial information.] Contributions in Corey's memory may be made to the Three Fires Council of the Boy Scouts of America or to the LDS Humanitarian Relief Fund.
I met Corey in 1996, in the days of IRC chat rooms. We were regular visitors in !Laugh&Relax, where we were virtually adopted as siblings by another regular member. Because my nickname was Mermaid{, he would always call me his "Fishy Sister with Her Fins O' Steel," and because he was always hilarious, I called him my "Cheeky Monkey." Corey occasionally alluded to his condition and told us when he had his leg amputated, but he made it clear that he would accept no pity. He wanted to do what the chat room title suggested: laugh and relax.
My friendship with Corey continued through the years. When I had a three-hour layover in Minneapolis on my way to Winnipeg, he came to the airport to hang out with me and even waited through my hour and half landing delay. We chatted often online, and he was always smart, witty and kind. His favourite story was that of Evariste Galois, the French mathematician who was rumoured to have initiated a duel to protect the honour of a woman... with whom Galois himself was having an affair. Convinced of his impending death, Galois allegedly stayed up all night writing letters to his friends and outlining his mathematical theories. It was Corey's contention that if Galois had just gotten some sleep - or not initiated the ridiculous duel in the first place - he might have lived on to a great career, but either way, Galois was a "prodigy... a nutjob prodigy."
In one of my last conversations with the Cheeky Monkey, he said he was wrestling with the decision of yet another surgery, without which he felt he would surely die. He was tired of surgeries and hospitals, though, and he said he hoped I would understand whatever his decision came to be. I did, but I'm still deeply saddened by his death. He was a joy to know. I still haven't been able to bring myself to remove his name from my IM contacts.
*If you're researching Corey for your family tree, you may see the "official" death date as 28 Aug 2008. By law, the date his death was observed by legal authority is the date that goes on record, though both the Deputy Coroner and Corey's parents determined the actual date was the 25th.
Corey Alexander Nielsen, 29, of Batavia passed away August 25, 2008*, at his residence in Urbana, IL, from a heart attack due to premature hardening of the arteries accelerated by diabetes and paraplegia. Corey died while living his dream to the fullest: being independent, studying Computer Science at Illinois's top-ranked Engineering College, and serving others. Corey is the son of Boyd and Christy (nee Wagner) Nielsen. Corey earned a 1st Dan Black Belt from the American Kyuki-Do Federation (1991) two years before becoming paraplegic. Corey earned his Eagle Scout rank (1996) and Vigil Honor in the Order of the Arrow, then graduated from Batavia High School with Honors (1997), completing his studies between several extensive hospitilizations and amputation of his left leg. Corey completed an Associate of Science degree at Waubonsee Community College between work as a contract programmer, Web developer, and another major hospitalization before enrolling at UI (2006). He is survived by his parents, three sisters: Karen Marie Nielsen (Eric) Brown and their daughter Olivia Marie Brown, Amelia and Hannah Nielsen; his paternal grandmother Metta Nielsen; maternal grandfather Jerome (Barbara Lindeke) Wagner; maternal grandmother Alice Wagner; fourteen aunts and uncles, their spouses, and many cousins. [Visitation, funeral and burial information.] Contributions in Corey's memory may be made to the Three Fires Council of the Boy Scouts of America or to the LDS Humanitarian Relief Fund.
I met Corey in 1996, in the days of IRC chat rooms. We were regular visitors in !Laugh&Relax, where we were virtually adopted as siblings by another regular member. Because my nickname was Mermaid{, he would always call me his "Fishy Sister with Her Fins O' Steel," and because he was always hilarious, I called him my "Cheeky Monkey." Corey occasionally alluded to his condition and told us when he had his leg amputated, but he made it clear that he would accept no pity. He wanted to do what the chat room title suggested: laugh and relax.
My friendship with Corey continued through the years. When I had a three-hour layover in Minneapolis on my way to Winnipeg, he came to the airport to hang out with me and even waited through my hour and half landing delay. We chatted often online, and he was always smart, witty and kind. His favourite story was that of Evariste Galois, the French mathematician who was rumoured to have initiated a duel to protect the honour of a woman... with whom Galois himself was having an affair. Convinced of his impending death, Galois allegedly stayed up all night writing letters to his friends and outlining his mathematical theories. It was Corey's contention that if Galois had just gotten some sleep - or not initiated the ridiculous duel in the first place - he might have lived on to a great career, but either way, Galois was a "prodigy... a nutjob prodigy."
In one of my last conversations with the Cheeky Monkey, he said he was wrestling with the decision of yet another surgery, without which he felt he would surely die. He was tired of surgeries and hospitals, though, and he said he hoped I would understand whatever his decision came to be. I did, but I'm still deeply saddened by his death. He was a joy to know. I still haven't been able to bring myself to remove his name from my IM contacts.
*If you're researching Corey for your family tree, you may see the "official" death date as 28 Aug 2008. By law, the date his death was observed by legal authority is the date that goes on record, though both the Deputy Coroner and Corey's parents determined the actual date was the 25th.
His obituary:
Corey Alexander Nielsen, 29, of Batavia passed away August 25, 2008*, at his residence in Urbana, IL, from a heart attack due to premature hardening of the arteries accelerated by diabetes and paraplegia. Corey died while living his dream to the fullest: being independent, studying Computer Science at Illinois's top-ranked Engineering College, and serving others. Corey is the son of Boyd and Christy (nee Wagner) Nielsen. Corey earned a 1st Dan Black Belt from the American Kyuki-Do Federation (1991) two years before becoming paraplegic. Corey earned his Eagle Scout rank (1996) and Vigil Honor in the Order of the Arrow, then graduated from Batavia High School with Honors (1997), completing his studies between several extensive hospitilizations and amputation of his left leg. Corey completed an Associate of Science degree at Waubonsee Community College between work as a contract programmer, Web developer, and another major hospitalization before enrolling at UI (2006). He is survived by his parents, three sisters: Karen Marie Nielsen (Eric) Brown and their daughter Olivia Marie Brown, Amelia and Hannah Nielsen; his paternal grandmother Metta Nielsen; maternal grandfather Jerome (Barbara Lindeke) Wagner; maternal grandmother Alice Wagner; fourteen aunts and uncles, their spouses, and many cousins. [Visitation, funeral and burial information.] Contributions in Corey's memory may be made to the Three Fires Council of the Boy Scouts of America or to the LDS Humanitarian Relief Fund.
I met Corey in 1996, in the days of IRC chat rooms. We were regular visitors in !Laugh&Relax, where we were virtually adopted as siblings by another regular member. Because my nickname was Mermaid{, he would always call me his "Fishy Sister with Her Fins O' Steel," and because he was always hilarious, I called him my "Cheeky Monkey." Corey occasionally alluded to his condition and told us when he had his leg amputated, but he made it clear that he would accept no pity. He wanted to do what the chat room title suggested: laugh and relax.
My friendship with Corey continued through the years. When I had a three-hour layover in Minneapolis on my way to Winnipeg, he came to the airport to hang out with me and even waited through my hour and half landing delay. We chatted often online, and he was always smart, witty and kind. His favourite story was that of Evariste Galois, the French mathematician who was rumoured to have initiated a duel to protect the honour of a woman... with whom Galois himself was having an affair. Convinced of his impending death, Galois allegedly stayed up all night writing letters to his friends and outlining his mathematical theories. It was Corey's contention that if Galois had just gotten some sleep - or not initiated the ridiculous duel in the first place - he might have lived on to a great career, but either way, Galois was a "prodigy... a nutjob prodigy."
In one of my last conversations with the Cheeky Monkey, he said he was wrestling with the decision of yet another surgery, without which he felt he would surely die. He was tired of surgeries and hospitals, though, and he said he hoped I would understand whatever his decision came to be. I did, but I'm still deeply saddened by his death. He was a joy to know. I still haven't been able to bring myself to remove his name from my IM contacts.
*If you're researching Corey for your family tree, you may see the "official" death date as 28 Aug 2008. By law, the date his death was observed by legal authority is the date that goes on record, though both the Deputy Coroner and Corey's parents determined the actual date was the 25th.
Corey Alexander Nielsen, 29, of Batavia passed away August 25, 2008*, at his residence in Urbana, IL, from a heart attack due to premature hardening of the arteries accelerated by diabetes and paraplegia. Corey died while living his dream to the fullest: being independent, studying Computer Science at Illinois's top-ranked Engineering College, and serving others. Corey is the son of Boyd and Christy (nee Wagner) Nielsen. Corey earned a 1st Dan Black Belt from the American Kyuki-Do Federation (1991) two years before becoming paraplegic. Corey earned his Eagle Scout rank (1996) and Vigil Honor in the Order of the Arrow, then graduated from Batavia High School with Honors (1997), completing his studies between several extensive hospitilizations and amputation of his left leg. Corey completed an Associate of Science degree at Waubonsee Community College between work as a contract programmer, Web developer, and another major hospitalization before enrolling at UI (2006). He is survived by his parents, three sisters: Karen Marie Nielsen (Eric) Brown and their daughter Olivia Marie Brown, Amelia and Hannah Nielsen; his paternal grandmother Metta Nielsen; maternal grandfather Jerome (Barbara Lindeke) Wagner; maternal grandmother Alice Wagner; fourteen aunts and uncles, their spouses, and many cousins. [Visitation, funeral and burial information.] Contributions in Corey's memory may be made to the Three Fires Council of the Boy Scouts of America or to the LDS Humanitarian Relief Fund.
I met Corey in 1996, in the days of IRC chat rooms. We were regular visitors in !Laugh&Relax, where we were virtually adopted as siblings by another regular member. Because my nickname was Mermaid{, he would always call me his "Fishy Sister with Her Fins O' Steel," and because he was always hilarious, I called him my "Cheeky Monkey." Corey occasionally alluded to his condition and told us when he had his leg amputated, but he made it clear that he would accept no pity. He wanted to do what the chat room title suggested: laugh and relax.
My friendship with Corey continued through the years. When I had a three-hour layover in Minneapolis on my way to Winnipeg, he came to the airport to hang out with me and even waited through my hour and half landing delay. We chatted often online, and he was always smart, witty and kind. His favourite story was that of Evariste Galois, the French mathematician who was rumoured to have initiated a duel to protect the honour of a woman... with whom Galois himself was having an affair. Convinced of his impending death, Galois allegedly stayed up all night writing letters to his friends and outlining his mathematical theories. It was Corey's contention that if Galois had just gotten some sleep - or not initiated the ridiculous duel in the first place - he might have lived on to a great career, but either way, Galois was a "prodigy... a nutjob prodigy."
In one of my last conversations with the Cheeky Monkey, he said he was wrestling with the decision of yet another surgery, without which he felt he would surely die. He was tired of surgeries and hospitals, though, and he said he hoped I would understand whatever his decision came to be. I did, but I'm still deeply saddened by his death. He was a joy to know. I still haven't been able to bring myself to remove his name from my IM contacts.
*If you're researching Corey for your family tree, you may see the "official" death date as 28 Aug 2008. By law, the date his death was observed by legal authority is the date that goes on record, though both the Deputy Coroner and Corey's parents determined the actual date was the 25th.
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