North Central lost a student. Bass Pro Shops in Bolingbrook lost an employee. Little Friends lost an impactful former staff member. Max Boheme was a student who mattered to his community.
At only 24 years old, Boheme lost his life on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2015, in Manitowoc, Wis., during a kayak fishing tournament. His mother Patricia Boheme explained what happened:
“He was at a salmon fishing tournament, and all we really know is that he fell out of the kayak and got hypothermia very quickly,” she explained. “He had a Coast Guard button on his vest he could have pushed,” she said, shaking her head. “He had a radio and was wearing a life vest, so it’s very sad, of course, for us.”
The Bohemes had adopted Max from the Philippines very early in his life.
Max Boheme attended Lisle High School, then College of DuPage for two years before transferring to North Central College. When he was at North Central, Boheme declared a psychology major before recently switching to a marketing major. He also had an art minor.
One of Boheme’s more recent passions was archery. He was an outdoorsman and has fished since he was 6, when the whole Boheme family would often fish together. He wanted to pursue marketing so that he could do marketing-related work in the outdoors.
Boheme’s passion for the outdoors and fishing led him to the Bass Pro Shop. His fellow co-worker, Michael Kopija, said Boheme was a frequent customer for a long time, who eventually became an employee about six months ago. The two had also gone fishing together at Heidecke Lake.
“I never saw him in a bad mood,” Kopija said.
Boheme was a fast learner everywhere he went, and he went everywhere.
He was a musician, and his mother said that, “Guitar was the main thing that he did,” as he played in a few bands in high school and also took piano and drum lessons.
Boheme strived for a high level of performance at whatever he did. At Little Friends Life Skills Training Center, a school for children with autism, he would quiz the staff on safety booklets. At Bass Pro Shops in the fly department, he was always up-to-date on all the gear.
“He was one of those people who betters his surroundings,” Kopija said.
What isn’t lost, is the impact Boheme had on other people.
“He was 19 years old and decided to take a part-time job at Little Friends,” said Kristi Landorf, the president and CEO of the organization. His mother Patricia is executive vice president at the organization. He started in Glen Ellyn at the Life Skills Training Center and helped kids get out in the community.
“Nothing sadder has happened at Little Friends,” Landorf said. “He connected to our children.” She added that, “It was his first job, and he really took on the responsibility.”
Landorf said that, “It helped him see that he could really make a difference,” and that he had an ability to connect to the children that was very natural. For example, one student at Little Friends enjoyed dancing, so he and Max would often dance together, explained Patricia Boheme.
“He saw who they were as people and didn’t focus on their disabilities,” Landorf recalls. He focused on having fun with them and teaching them to be more independent. “I was really proud of him, because that’s my field,” said Landorf, adding that, “It helped him grow up.”
Boheme worked full time over the summers and breaks and really had a passion for working with the children at Little Friends. He was able to find creative ways for them to interact and communicate. Landorf calls him “empathetic and supportive,” and appreciates how he communicated well with parents.
Among those who ran into Boheme was Phil Norris, a senior international business and marketing major.
“I met Max in speech class,” Norris said. “He had to tell me about himself, I had to tell him about myself, and then we introduce each other to the class.”
Norris continued by saying, “He was definitely one of those people who makes an impression on you,” and added that, “he’s got tons of tattoos, and I’ve got tattoos, so we talked about that.”
The two also both enjoyed fishing. “I don’t think he owned one thing that wasn’t fishing gear,” Norris said. At Bass Pro Shop he was “like a kid in a candy store.” He loved fishing; he didn’t hide it and he embraced who he was, Norris said.
Correction: An earlier version of this article misspelled Kristi Landorf’s last name. The Chronicle/ncclinked regrets the error.
