Eva Beiga scanned the tear-stained faces looking up at her and said she was proud.
Proud of how her brother impacted the world around him.
Mourners gathered at Blessed Jurgis Matulaitis Lithuanian Catholic Mission Church Friday morning to say goodbye to Aleksas “Alex” Beiga, the Naperville Central High School freshman killed April 1 in an avalanche in the Swiss Alps.
He was 15.
Well before the Mass began Friday, people started trickling into the church, tucked inside the grounds of the Lemont-based Lithuanian World Center. Sparse clouds hung overhead. The soft howl of wind blowing through trees and the steady chatter of birds filled the quiet.
Inside, young faces were scattered throughout the pews. A casket sat at the front, draped in white cloth.
The next hour was intimate and somber. Friends of Alex’s and his family gave readings and brought up the offertory gifts. Prayers were dedicated to coaches, teachers and loved ones.
Parts of the funeral Mass were said in Lithuanian, a testament to Alex’s family. His dad, Nerijus “Ned” Beiga, swam for Lithuania in the 1992 and 1996 Olympics.
Eva gave the sole eulogy.
“I never expected to have this little time with you,” she said to her brother. “But I’ll cherish it forever.”
Friends and family gather for a funeral procession for Naperville Central High School freshman Aleksas “Alex” Beiga on April 12, 2024, at Blessed Jurgis Matulaitis Lithuanian Catholic Mission in Lemont. (Vincent Alban/Chicago Tribune)
Alex was one of three people who died in an avalanche near the Swiss resort of Zermatt earlier this month. The other victims included a 58-year-old Swiss man and 25-year-old Canadian woman, according to police from the Switzerland canton (state) of Valais. A fourth person, a 20-year-old Swiss man, was flown to a hospital with serious injuries.
A spring break trip with his parents took Alex to the Swiss Alps. It had always been his dream to go snowboarding in Switzerland, according to a previous interview with family. He loved adventure.
“I’ll never forget how excited you got whenever there was adventure involved,” Eva said Friday.
She recalled getting into a water fight with Alex and “accidentally (spraying) water all over the living room.” She remembered Alex trying to recreate a scene from “Home Alone,” just to scare her and her friends. She spoke about “causing trouble together” and “deep talks” — that they’d “been through it all.”
“You have truly added so much joy and laughter to our lives,” she said, adding that she’ll miss her brother’s “bright face, which was always painted with a smile.”
“Your spirit will live on forever, and you’ll always be in my heart,” she said. “I love you, and rest in peace.”
In a homily, the Rev. Jaunius Kelpsas urged mourners to “not let the precious moments of this life pass you by.”
“Sometimes our days can be so full and busy that we forget how fragile life is. … We have to remember that each day is a gift,” he said.
He added, “Do not wait for the holidays, for the birthdays to show (someone) that you (care) about them. Each day is unique and … you have been given time that can be invested or wasted.”
The mass ended with pallbearers carrying Alex’s casket out of the church. Eva and Alex’s parents followed behind, holding each other close. Behind them, the congregation followed in a measured pace, wiping their eyes.
Back outside, mourners found their cars. In a line, they filed out of the church parking lot in a procession.
Alex was buried at Lithuanian National Cemetery in Justice.
