Christopher Donald Ruhnke

Christopher Donald Ruhnke, 20, of Crystal Lake died Saturday May 8, 2010 at Theda Clark Medical Center in Neenah, Wis. from injuries sustained in a motocross accident. He was born May 11, 1989 in Woodstock to Thomas and Margaret (Forbes) Ruhnke. He graduated with honors from Prairie Ridge High School class of 2008 and was finishing his sophomore year at Northern Illinois University. Chris was a dedicated student majoring in Special Education and was on the Dean’s List at NIU. He had a passion for extreme sports starting at an early age with BMX riding then later he moved on to motocross racing. He also enjoyed wakeboarding, skateboarding, snowmobiling, and snowboarding. Chris was starting up his own business called “Rippin It”, a company designing extreme sports apparel. He lived his life by the words “Never Give Up,” “Go Big or Go Home,” and “Faith”.

He is survived by his parents; Tom and Marge Ruhnke, brother Patrick (Kelly) Ruhnke, sisters; Emily and Amanda Ruhnke, niece and nephew; Kayla and Jackson Ruhnke, paternal grandmother Irene Ruhnke, and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and many close friends. He is preceded in death by his maternal grandparents Donald and Helen Forbes, and his paternal grandfather Clement Ruhnke.

Visitation will be from 11:00 am – 9:00 pm on Friday May 14th at Querhammer & Flagg Funeral Home, 500 W. Terra Cotta Ave. Crystal Lake. Funeral mass will be open to the public at 11:30 am on Saturday May 15th at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, 451 W. Terra Cotta Ave. Crystal Lake. Interment will be in Crystal Lake Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be given to the Brayden Spencer Powell Scholarship fund at Prairie Ridge High School.