Former Illinois Wesleyan football player Andrew Weishar passed away early on the morning of Friday (Oct. 12), losing his long, courageous battle with cancer. There will be a moment of silence for Andrew at Saturday's Homecoming football game in his honor.

Weishar, who was from Oak Forest, Ill. and attended Chicago Brother Rice High School, was an Illinois Wesleyan student and member of the football team in 2009 and 2010. Weisher was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in the spring of 2010.

Illinois Wesleyan head football coach Norm Eash indicated that a number of the current team's seniors were at Weishar's bedside when he died. "Andrew was very team-minded player who always had a smile on his face," Eash said. "He was a great teammate with terrific spirit and fought his illness with a courage that is inspirational to us all."

UPDATED:  A visitation will be held from 3 to 9 p.m. on Monday (Oct. 15) in the South Gym at Brother Rice High School, 10001 S. Pulaski Rd., Chicago, with a rosary to be said at 8:30 p.m.

A funeral Mass will be held on Tuesday (Oct. 16) at St. Damian Catholic Church, 5250 W. 155th St., Oak Forest, at 11:30 a.m. There will be no classes at Brother Rice on Tuesday to allow students, faculty and staff to attend the funeral.

Andrew is survived by his parents, Jean and Don Weishar; younger brothers Daniel and Nic; his grandmothers, Carole Michalek of Midlothian, Ill., and Irene Weishar of Kansas City, Mo.; 18 cousins; a large number of uncles and aunts; and hundreds of other heart-broken extended family members and friends.

In lieu of flowers, donations should be sent to the Andrew Weishar Foundation care of Brother Rice High School (10001 S. Pulaski Rd., Chicago, IL 60655-3356). The Andrew Weishar Foundation has been established to fund a scholarship for a deserving Brother Rice junior or senior who exemplifies the leadership qualities emulated by Andrew: strength of character, academic excellence and tireless work ethic. In addition, the committee will utilize the foundation for Brother Rice special improvement projects deemed important.

For more details, check the "Amazing Andrew" web site at CaringBridge.org and the Oak Forest Patch, which has produced a number of on-line stories about Andrew.

Weishar's former teammate and captain Max Brooks '11 wrote a feature article about Andrew in The Argus on Sept. 17, 2010.