College baseball mourns Wheaton student Tomassino 'Tommy' Offer, killed by train
Searches for college baseball are tied to the death of Wheaton College freshman Tomassino "Tommy" Offer, struck by a train Sunday near campus.
Why Tomassino Offer is trending
Searches tied to college baseball picked up this week after word spread that Tomassino "Tommy" Offer, an 18-year-old Wheaton College freshman, was killed in a train accident. Offer played baseball at the school, and his death Sunday drew students, neighbors and a local priest into a memorial Mass two days later.
What is confirmed comes from a Metra spokesperson and the Rev. Santos Castillo of St. Michael Catholic Church in Wheaton: Offer was hit by a freight train after leaving a church service. Beyond the sequence of events described by those sources, there is nothing further to report. What comes next is continued mourning on campus and statements from people who knew him.
What happened Sunday morning
Offer was struck by an eastbound Union Pacific freight train at about 10:30 a.m. Sunday, according to a Metra spokesperson. He had just left St. Michael Catholic Church with a friend, heading toward Chicago.
The spokesperson said Offer tried to cross the tracks near Main Street after one train had already passed, not realizing a second train was approaching from the opposite direction.
Castillo said he spoke with Offer shortly before he left the church that morning. Offer waved at him on the way out with his friend. Castillo said no one knew it would be the last time Offer was in the building.
Who Tomassino Offer was
Castillo said Offer had recently moved from Michigan to attend Wheaton College and play baseball, and was starting to build connections in the community. Before Wheaton, he attended Notre Dame Preparatory School in Pontiac, Michigan, where he was part of a state championship soccer team.
In a statement, Notre Dame Prep called him "an outstanding student and an even better young man," saying he was loved by his teachers and classmates.
Castillo described Offer as a steady presence at Mass since arriving in Wheaton, someone who came every Sunday, didn't talk much, but showed up and prayed.
How the community is responding
Students from Wheaton College and members of the community gathered Monday at St. Michael Catholic Church for a memorial Mass built around faith and community. Castillo told mourners that faith would need to carry them through a loss with no easy explanation.
Wheaton College held its own memorial for Offer on Sunday night, separate from the church service. Many of his friends and classmates attended, according to people familiar with the gathering.
Facts per ABC7 Chicago. Opinion is the taproom's.