obit: windsor teen killed in b.c. remembered for charity, astronaut ambition
“i am very proud that he became that kind of person,” d...
sep 16 2024
4 minute read
marco kurepa is shown in this recent profile photo that appears on his linkedin account, which lists him as a ted rogers legacy scholar, among other accomplishments.
linkedin photo
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windsor star
marco kurepa oct. 3, 2006 — aug. 25, 2024
he was already changing the world, but marco kurepa had his sights set on the stars.
the young windsorite, who died aug. 25 after falling off a cliff in british columbia, was only 17.
but it was a short life spent harnessing a keen intellect, kind heart, and endless ambition — he was already laying the groundwork to become an astronaut — for the betterment of others.
“i am very proud that he became that kind of person,” daniel kurepa, marco’s dad, told the star. “academically, i knew that he was going to reach his stars. i know that he was all set.
“but what i’m really proud of is he became selfless in helping others.”
marco died aug. 25 after climbing over a fence at lynn canyon park in north vancouver, b.c., and slipping over the edge of a cliff. he had left windsor only a day earlier to start studies at the university of british columbia.
his father said the rcmp officer who investigated the accident told him that marco was not the only person who jumped the fence that day.
“but he went further,” said kurepa. “he wanted to take a picture.”
kurepa said police told him they believe his son was holding onto a tree branch while trying to get into a good position to snap a photo.
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“all day before that or even that morning it was raining, so everything was wet,” he said. “and then, he just slipped on the moss and went down.”
marco kurepa’s dream of becoming an astronaut was sparked during a trip to kennedy space center in florida in 2012.
photo courtesy of daniel kurepa
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windsor star
marco was eagerly awaiting the start of university the following week. he was one of only 10 students to receive the $100,000 ted rogers scholarship providing a full ride to ubc’s biomedical engineering program.
“he was a gifted kid,” said kurepa. “he was always on the honours list.”
kurepa said school board tests revealed his son had an iq of 145. the cutoff for mensa, the world’s largest high-iq society, is around 130 depending on the test.
marco knew from a young age what he wanted to do with that gift, and he never wavered.
he had already charted a long, challenging path for himself that would see him become a canadian astronaut and physician.
marco kurepa, with dreams of becoming a canadian astronaut, talks to a pilot during a trip to an airshow in dayton, ohio, in 2018.
photo courtesy of daniel kurepa
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windsor star
marco once wrote in an essay for a scholarship application about seeing his first airshow as a young boy and the passion it stirred in him.
“my feet may have been planted on the ground, but my soul climbed with the metal birds into the sky, taunting me to come catch it,” he wrote.
his father remembers it well.
“from a six-year-old boy going to air shows, he never changed wanting to be a candidate for astronaut,” said kurepa.
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one of kurepa’s favourite photos of his son is from 2012 at the kennedy space center.
“i have a picture of him in an astronaut outfit,” said kurepa. “i think the passion started from kennedy space center when he was six years old.”
the dream of space flight seized his imagination when he was six. but marco was born gazing upward. by the age of three, he was building lego airplanes.
if there was an airshow within 2,000 kilometres, marco was there.
“he liked airplanes so much,” said kurepa. “he knew everything about airplanes, like an encyclopedia. a passion that was eventually going to turn into becoming an astronaut.”
in pursuit of his goal, marco joined the royal canadian air cadets. he set a squadron record with his score on the glider pilot scholarship qualifying exam to get his pilot’s licence. he also became an assistant ground school instructor and was certified as a subject matter expert in aviation to teach other cadets.
a young marco kurepa was captured by windsor star photographer tyler brownbridge reading a dora the explorer book at the nikola budimir library in windsor on sept. 27, 2011.
tyler brownbridge
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windsor star
there were many other achievements to be proud of.
but for his parents, the real pleasure was watching marco blossom into a young man of character and charity.
his long résumé of volunteer work includes organizing fundraising events for the canadian cancer society, running dances to raise money for charity, and striking a partnership with wetech alliance to provide pro-bono services to local start-ups.
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“progress without the patience to help others up on your journey to the top is like throwing rocks in water, it’ll ripple for a while, but ultimately there will be no lasting impact,” marco asserted in his essay.
marco, an only child, also dedicated himself to helping his peers and younger children.
he volunteered to help kids in need, taught web development to middle schoolers, and was a student ambassador for youreka canada, which creates research opportunities for youth.
marco also started a program to revive local teams for the first lego league, an international stem (science, technology, engineering, and math) competition for children.
he inherited his volunteer spirit from his father and mother, zora, who made sure he understood the importance of compassion and altruism. but marco took the lessons and ran with them.
“he was very humble,” said kurepa. “he was taught to be selfless, but it was more of his initiative. that’s what i’m really proud of. he never changed, being a second grader or 17 years old.
“he was a humanitarian. whoever would ask for help, he was there.”
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