Ashburn Alley
Well-known member
RIP. So sad to hear.
Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.
I had planned on starting his 2017 year off sending him with two Biggio cards off his "most wanted list" from my sets along with the graded storage box he asked for. Instead I'll be sending his condolence card to his family.
Second member this year (Jason Picus-Nolan5000) I've lost to a long standing fight with a medical issue :sad:
His address if anyone cares to write the family a condolence card:
Nick Aerts
2819-A Forest Ave
Two Rivers WI 54241
Thank you so much for writing this! Like Scott said, we know each other but we don't know each other. I appreciate you taking the time to let us know Nick a little more. I hope someone starts a thread where we just get to know each other a little better. This news is made me feel even more sad knowing he had been fighting health issues for while and I didn't know. May God bless his family and give them strengthHi all - here's a bit of additional background on Nick. I've gotten a lot less involved in collecting over the last several years, in no small part due to my two high school age daughters' involvement in their athletic and other extra-curricular activities. Which, coincidentally is how I've gotten to know Nick. He has for years proclaimed himself the number one fan of the football and basketball teams at Roncalli High School in Manitowoc, WI which my daughters attend, a title which has never been in dispute. He's a fixture at every game, leading cheers from the sidelines. As passionate as he was about his player collections, his fervor for Roncalli athletics and athletes was tenfold (maybe more). There were times he clapped so hard and for so long that his hands were actually bleeding after a big game. He's a young man who dealt with a lifetime of health issues but who found a home on the sidelines cheering on the Jets. He was the last of the true believers - sometimes to a fault - but his passion and enthusiasm were never in doubt.
He had been having issues lately that required hospitalization but as soon as he was released he was back in the gym. In fact he was at our girls' game Tuesday night, just hours before his passing. My last memory of him will be seeing him changing out of his "gamers" - the gym shoes he only wore in the gym on game day - after Tuesday's contest. I take a lot of photos at the girls' games and thought I'd share a couple of my favorites of Nick:
View attachment 66358
View attachment 66357
View attachment 66359
View attachment 66360
And here's an article that appeared in our local paper yesterday. http://www.htrnews.com/story/sports/high-school/basketball/2016/12/22/roncalli-remebers-superfan-aerts/95772838/ He was a special young man and his absence is going to leave a big void in a lot of peoples' hearts. RIP Nick - we'll miss you.
Thank you so much for writing this! Like Scott said, we know each other but we don't know each other. I appreciate you taking the time to let us know Nick a little more. I hope someone starts a thread where we just get to know each other a little better. This news is made me feel even more sad knowing he had been fighting health issues for while and I didn't know. May God bless his family and give them strength
Collecting: Phil Bickford, Brandon Wood (still), Yankees and Rockies