Teachers Fondly Remember Sava Basic

Sava Basic was the kind of kid a teacher wanted in class.

He was interested, engaged and a joy to be around. Knowing him as a high school student, a few of his teachers from remembered him fondly and were not surprised he went into public service.

Basic, 26, died in an Jan. 30 when the car he and his wife were in left the road, struck a tree, hit a culvert and rolled. His wake and services were held last weekend in Naperville. He lived in Plainfield, but worked as a police officer in Bolingbrook.

Mike O’Toole is a dean of students at Neuqua Valley, but when he knew Basic, he was a history teacher, O’Toole said in a phone interview.

“He had a very easy smile and a very outgoing personality,” O’Toole said. “He was a kid who would come to class with a lot of enthusiasm. He was a very likeable young man and he asked a lot of questions. I had him in history class and he would not shy away from a good debate.”

It had been years since O’Toole had Basic in class or had even seen him, but when he learned of the Bolingbrook police officer’s death he was saddened.

“It is hard to remember every kid you have in class.  … But, he was definitely a kid I remembered because he had that easy smile and larger than life personality,” O’Toole said. “I heard he was a police officer and that didn’t surprise me at all that he would go into a field where he was helping other people.”

Another teacher deeply saddened to learn of Basic’s death was David Perry, the head freshman football coach and the physical education, health, driver education department chair at Neuqua Valley.

Perry was away at a leadership conference but responded to a request for comments in an e-mail.

“I can tell you that it was a pleasure getting to know Sava as a student athlete, but even more impressive seeing the fine young man he matured into,” Perry said in his e-mail.

“While it's great to see students perform well during their high school tenure, it's even more gratifying to see them become productive adults who contribute to our society in a positive fashion. Sava chose to serve his community by becoming a police officer … one of the most admirable professions that exists.”

Basic’s family has that though he was a “huge guy” he was really a big teddy bear.

“He seemed like a well-liked kid,” O’Toole said. “He had one of those bigger-than-life-type personalities. He was very outgoing and he was a pleasure to have in class.”