Alex Nunes, Eagle Scout who loved helping others, dies at 28

Being a part of Boy Scout Troop 979 out of Jefferson Park helped build Alex Nunes into a young man.

He learned Morse Code, how to start a fire in the woods (even if it's raining and all you have is a single match), and how to hike, camp and cook.

"He was part of a very, very special Boy Scout troop. It wasn't just a scout troop with 979, like an Ikea franchise. Their traditions and history ran real deep," his father, Marcus Nunes, said.

Mr. Nunes became an Eagle Scout — scouting's highest rank — after completing a project that beautified the landscape around a historic home in Norwood Park.

Later, when he was in his 20s, Mr. Nunes became an assistant scoutmaster with his old troop to show kids the things he'd learned.

He was leading a group of scouts while visiting a Boy Scout camp in Central Minnesota on a three-day camping trip near Lake Itasca last month when he had a fatal medical emergency during a hike on a hot and humid day.

Mr. Nunes was 28.

"They were going to do 10 miles a day and they'd done nine that day and Alex developed shortness of breath and wanted to slow down, and they stopped and then he said, 'Let's see if we can make the next mile,' and they didn't," his father said.

"He had no medical history; there was no warning. He was with a few friends who were also Eagle Scouts and they were leading the hike and performed CPR and called 911, but emergency medical resources were hard to reach. They did come and take him out and try to help him but they couldn't bring him back," he said.

"Fortunately the younger scouts were kept at a distance and didn't see what happened," said the troop's Scoutmaster, Francis O'Byrne.

Mr. Nunes' father said he comforted several scouts who attended funeral services this week as best he could.

"I told the boys that Alex was planting acorns, that he'd grown himself into a strong oak tree and that he was passing it on through all his work with scouting, and if you want to make any sense out of this, go plant more acorns and grow to be strong oaks yourself."

The family is still waiting on the death certificate, but expects the ultimate cause will be some form of cardiovascular distress exacerbated by some form of heat prostration exhaustion.

"He was quiet, thoughtful, way smarter than he would ever let on, a good kid, the kind of kid who you could always count on to help, like the old joke about finding out who your friends are when you ask them to help you move," his father said.

Mr. Nunes was a member of the National Honor Society while attending Notre Dame College Prep in Niles.

He went to DePaul University, where he earned a bachelor's and master's degree and met his future wife, Juia Vasquez.

After finishing at DePaul he taught English in China. He was able to return home shortly before the pandemic ground the world to a halt.

He joined the non-profit Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council as a grants administrator and helped care for his mother, Amy Boli Nunes, before she succumbed to cancer in 2021.

Alexander Ricardo Nunes was born Nov. 2, 1995, in Skokie. His father is an attorney. His mother worked for the city's Department of Planning and Development before becoming a homemaker raising two boys.

"He was way beyond his years in talent and skill set and he had a soft spot in his heart for anyone who needed assistance that he thought he could help," said Craig Chico, president of the Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council.

In addition to his wife and father, Mr. Nunes is survived by his brother, Marc Nunes.

Services have been held.