Aurora Beacon-News - April 16, 2016 | Original article

A section of Illinois 31 in North Aurora was renamed Saturday to honor Army Spc. Christopher Patterson in a ceremony attended by about 250 people, including Gov. Bruce Rauner.

Patterson was 20 years old when the Humvee in which he was riding struck an explosive device in the Kandahar Province of Afghanistan on Jan. 6, 2012, killing him and three other members of the 713th Engineer Company on board. The West Aurora graduate was a member of the Indiana National Guard.

State Reps. Linda Chapa LaVia, D-Aurora; Stephanie Kifowit, D-Oswego; and Mike Fortner, R-West Chicago; and state Sen. Linda Holmes, D-Aurora, attended the event, as did North Aurora Mayor Dale Berman.

Holmes said she did not know Christopher Patterson personally but that did not diminish her "debt of gratitude" for the ultimate sacrifice the young man paid for his country.

"For families, the loss never goes away," Holmes said. "There will always be an empty place at the holiday table, and the hole in their hearts can never be filled, especially for a young man whose life shone as brightly and as honorable as Christopher's," Holmes said.

Read the full article at the Aurora Beacon-News.