Bart Lenz, Car Accident Victim, Had Special Passion for Sports

A few days before his tragic death in a car accident, New Lenox resident Bart Lenz was bonding with his father the best way they knew how: taking in a sports game together in the stands.

Bart died Saturday, March 3, 2012, after . He was 21.

He bought his father, Scott, tickets to the Chicago Blackhawks game for his birthday. The two loved going to games together, primarily for the Green Bay Packers because his dad has season tickets.

“That was his passion more than anything else,” Scott Lenz said of Bart, who was named after Packers great Bart Starr. “Went to the Super Bowl last year and got to see the Packers win. He said it was the happiest day of his life. It was the pinnacle of our relationship as a father and a son.”

The bond they shared was more than that of father and son; they were best friends. Bart would join his father at Packers games at least a few times a year. They would tailgate for hours before the game, and Bart even got some autographs during training camp, including Greg Jennings and Aaron Rodgers.

Going to the games also allowed Bart to follow another passion: photography. Scott said his son would take hundreds of photos at every game and even started selling some on eBay.

“Going to the first Packer game this year is going to be tough,” Scott said. “We got to know a lot of people in our section and they really enjoyed Bart. I talked to some of them and they were totally torn up.”

Bart also shared a great bond with his mother, Rose Lenz. Scott said she was always there to help him out.

“He really adored my wife,” Scott said. “She was everything to him, and the same in return.”

Bart also enjoyed snowboarding and recently picked up golf, but basketball was his favorite sport to play. He didn’t make the team at Lincoln-Way Central but still loved pickup games around town and filling his closet with basketball shoes.

“The Air Jordans were always important,” Scott said. “But I always told him it’s not about the shoes, it’s the person in the shoes. And he was just a great kid.”

Bart is survived by his father; his mother, Rose; and his sister, Ashley. Memorial services were held at the on March 8.