Allan Nunez, 19, Remembered by His Norwalk Family and Coaches

Norwalk's Allan Nunez was constantly determined to overcome obstacles in his life and succeed in being able to do what he wanted—whether it was being a better football or track and field athlete or getting through school with learning disabilities.

He brought more determination and effort into his striving as an athlete than most kids do, said his track and field coaches. And his family remembers him as constantly wanting to get around or plow through obstacles.

And that determination may have been what when he got in an inflatable tube during a visit with friends to Candlewood Lake in New Milford.

He didn't know how to swim well, but he persuaded his friends that he could, his family said. When Allan slipped off the inner tube, however, all his athleticism couldn't save him, and there were no lifeguards at the park to save him, either.

"He didn't believe in obstacles," Allan's older brother, Ariel, said during a recent interview with the Nunez family at their Toilsome Avenue home. "If there was an obstacle, he was going to go through it, around it—it didn't matter."

Commitment

Oscar Nunez, Allan's eldest brother, agreed. "He was just, 'Let's go do it.' Whenever he put himself into something, he was very committed. He was going to go do it."

Leah Johnson, an assistant track coach at Norwalk High, said, Allan "was really honest, and he was a very hard worker. He would put in twice as much effort as my other throwers."

Bill Martin, the track coach, remembered the teenager as "always looking for some way to be better at what he was doing. [...] He worked hard. He could overcompensate, but i think that was part of his zeal to be better. He always had the attitude that he could do something."

Having ADHD and mild Tourette's syndrome, Allan struggled in school, especially until his learning disabilities were diagnosed, his brothers said.

He took classes at Franklin School in Milford, a special education program for students with learning disabilities, and came back to Norwalk High School to play sports. In May, he graduated from Norwalk High School—another challenge overcome.

"He had a drive to accomplish and show everybody that he really could do something," said Allan's mother, Vilma Nunez.

Oscar said that when friends asked him if he could swim well enough to get on the inner tube and go out into deep water, "he probably saw it as a challenge," and so he told them that he was able to swim.

Vilma added that in her experience, Allan "was pretty convincing" when he said he could do something.

Big heart

Allan was big-hearted, very empathetic and very open with his emotions, his family said. His coaches said he supported other members of his team and spoke up if he thought somebody was being picked on.

"He was very vivacious, as you can see in the pictures of him," Ariel said. "He had a welcoming smile, he was kind, and he had a big soul."

"So lovable, very caring," his mother said. "He was not resentful. He would not let things get to him."

Oscar agreed. "The biggest heart you could ever think of," he said.

Allan had become involved with a youth group at Encounter Church in Darien, which had strengthened his desire to help others, his family said.

Many kids with learning disabilities to lose motivation in school, Ariel said, but not Allan, who had motivation to spare, and "wanted everybody else to do as well as he did. He appreciated the fact that there's always someone who has it worse than he did."

Allan tutored middle school students, and he enjoyed it, Ariel said. He had enrolled for the fall semester at Norwalk Community College and wanted to study in order to help special education children, his brother said.

"He knew what it was like—he had that empathy," Ariel said. Earlier, Allan had thought about being an automobile mechanic.

"He was always the first guy to stand up for somebody and remind his peers if it was the right thing or the wrong thing to do," Johnson said. "He was always upfront about his ethics."

Oscar said of his brother, "He's in a better place now."

Ariel responded, "He's still with us."