Deegan J. Kirschke, 17, of Hampshire, passed away on Saturday, August 16, 2025.
Deegan was born on January 18, 2008, to Dennis G. Kirschke Jr. and Amanda R. Folk.
A senior at Hampshire high school,
Deegan was a phenomenal wrestler and a truly talented human being. Coached by many, respected by most, Deegan was a very special boy that made his parents very proud on and off the mat.
Deegan will be remembered for his kind heart and adventurous spirit. Aside from wrestling, he enjoyed riding his dirt bike, skateboarding, and being with friends. Above all, he cherished time with his family. He was a beloved son, brother, grandson, nephew, cousin, and friend whose presence brought joy to those around him. His absence will be deeply felt by all who knew and loved him.
He is survived by his mother, Amanda (Justin) Johnson, and father, Dennis (Danielle) Kirschke; his brothers Miles, Brock, and Kash; sisters Gianna, Olivia, and Ellie; grandparents Dean (Laura) Folk, Rose (Daniel) Darce, Sheryl (Sam) Van Cleave, Dennis Sr. (Gina) Kirschke, Ken and Leslie Johnson; Aunts and Uncles, Jeff Folk, Ashley Folk, Crystal (Tommy) Newman, Tiffany (Mike) Klein, Brittany (Brad) Bebee, Brandon Brown, Austin (Natalie) Johnson, and Taylor (Alex) Garrett; great-grandparents Daniel and Betty Budziak, and Frank and Connie Valenza; along with many cousins and extended family who loved him dearly.
Visitation will be on Friday, August 22, 2025 from 4-8pm with prayers at 7pm at DeFiore Funeral Home-10763 Dundee Road, Huntley.
For further information please contact the funeral home at 847-515-8772 or online condolences may be directed to www.defiorefuneral.com
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Deegan was a beautiful, talented young soul. Our prayers go out to all of his loved ones. ❤️
Love you Deegan
Please accept my deepest sympathy. My prayers are with you and your family. God bless all of you.
So sorry for your loss. Sending prayers to the whole family.
I’m so sorry. May you fly high. I’m here for you Amanda and family.
We are very sorry for your loss. My prayers are with you and your family.
My deepest condolences to all of Deegan’s family & loved ones-holding you all close in love & light 💗
I am so sorry for your loss. Deegan was a beautiful, talented, and goofy fun loving kiddo.
Deegan, you will be missed. Your time on earth was cut way too short. May God hold you and keep you for eternity. Amanda and everyone: We are praying for you. We love you.
My condolences to you and your family and this time …
I am very sorry for your loss. Deegan wasn’t only a student at our school, He was family. To Deegans family, friends and the community who is suffering from Saturdays incident just know you’re not alone, we’re all here to help each other. Deegan will be missed, but never forgotten. Rest in peace Deegan, shine bright for us🤍🕊️
My deepest condolences to your family.
Sorry for your loss. My deepest condolences to the family .
All our Condolences to you and your🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Deegan you were loved by so many, I’m so grateful for all the memories we have together and I will never forget them. I will forever miss you and keep your memory alive forever. LLDK
Fly high bud we all miss you
Sending my deepest condolences and all my love to you and your family right now.
We have many pictures & wonderful memories with Deegan and will miss him very much. God Speed, Deegan!
I’m gonna miss you man, i love you. We had so many great memories in never gonna forget ❤️. LLDK
As we got older we didn’t talk as much, but the times we did talk he was the most supportive and respectful person ever he only wanted the best for everyone. He was the sweetest, funniest, and realist person I knew. My condolences to his family. Dennis and Amanda you raised an amazing kid.
Deegan will always be remembered as the kid who cared for those he held close. My mother Mrs.Nicole was a lunch monitor in elementary school and is so upset hearing about deegan as to they'd always joke around. This loss has effected many people. Our prayers go to his family and any other friends devastated by this loss. 🩷 LLDK
I’ll never forget the sweetest heart you have Deegan. You always went out of your way to make others happy. You are so loved and we will miss your bubbly energy every single day. God bless your family🤍
Amanda, I am so deeply sorry for the loss of your son. My heart aches with you, and I’m holding you close in my thoughts and prayers. Wishing you comfort, love, and strength during this time. May you find peace in the love and support surrounding you, and may his memory live on in all who knew him 💙
I'm so sorry for you loss. Sending thoughts, prayers, and healing vibes. ❤️
We are so sorry to here about Deegan, Our hearts go out to you and all the family! Sending our love, support and strength and we are here if you need anything!!!
My condolences to the family. Sending you and your family prayers during this difficult time.
I miss you so so much and you will forever be in my heart 💗
Love you buddy.
I wasn't one that was very close with Deegan but what I did know me was a very caring and kind person and we were beyond blessed to have his presence here on earth.
Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to put your healing hands on Deegan's family as they navigate life on earth without Deegan being here, I ask you take there pain away and bring nothing but love and peace. Please protect Deegan and show him nothing but love and make sure he is resting well, look after him as we don't have the privilege to. Please make Deegan's family is healthy and keep them close to you during this heart breaking time that no one deserves to be going through. In Jesus name I pray Amen.
I hope this was a lesson everyone learned to never play with guns "as a joke". It's NOT cool nor a joke as we lose many to gun violence. We lost a BEAUTIFUL soul here on earth due to something that could so easily have been prevented if kids didn't have access to guns. I truly hope Deegan feels no pain and is resting well up there. No one deserves this
I'm at a loss for words as we all have heavy hearts for Deegan. You never think this stuff will happen until it becomes your reality and now we don't get the privilege to love and see Deegan anymore. We will never get to see him walk across that stage and get his diploma, will wont ever get to see what plans he had in store for his future, all because one stupid mistake changed everyone's lives FOREVER. I pray that deegan's family gets everything and more because NO family should ever go through something like this. Especially not when there baby is 17 years old. I deeply feel so sorry for this family and the tragedy they are facing. I don't wish this on anybody. LLDK FOREVER17
RIP Deegan we weren’t really close but I’m glad I got to meet you when you were here rest easy big dawg ❤️🩹🕊️.
I'm so sorry for your loss Amanda. My heart goes out to you and your family. 🙏
I’m sorry to hear of this and I’m sending hugs and prayers to the entire family
Even though we only hung out a few times, you still made an impact on me and so many other people you will be missed kid. LLDK
miss you deegs, you were such an amazing person. LLDK.
I’m sorry for your loss 🙏🕊️he was truly taken to soon. Sending prayers.
he was such a nice person he’s gone too soon🕊️LLDK🕊️
Or deepest condolences. Sending thoughts and prayers. Hoping that the family and freinds around you, can give sone sort of strength during this very difficult time. May he rest in peace, and soar with the eagles! With deepest sympathy, Chad and Aimee Ford
May Deegan rest in peace, and may you find comfort in the love of family, friends, and faith. Love the Leon family 🕊️💕
Deegan you were always so amazing. Thank you for being there for Masen & his siblings over the years, you were a tremendous friend. Always loved having you over, especially when you pinned Masen in minutes with your wrestling moves. May your soul soar infinitely . Do Angels wrestle? 🤼
Dam bro life take things from us so fast bro I wish this never happened you where such a good person and a good person to be around you always had a big heart and always cared from everyone you did a lot bro I love you and fly high love you LLDK🕊️🕊️
We are so sorry for your loss our prayers to your family 💐
Praying for all those that loved Deegan. May his memory be a comfort to all who were lucky enough to know him.
The Zaputil family is sending our deepest sympathies, hugs and love. We hope you take great care and comfort in your wonderful memories of Deegan. You are all in our thoughts and prayers.
Rest easy 🕊️ my condolences go out to his family
My prayers and thoughts are with your family A parent should never have to bury their child God will keep Deegan in his hands Again so sorry for your families loss RIP Dear Deegan 🙏
My prayers and thoughts are with your family A parent should never have to bury their child God will keep Deegan in his hands Again so sorry for your families loss RIP Dear Deegan 🙏
Deegan you were loved many, you were you the person that could light up the darkest room. Deegan could make anyone laugh on there darkest days.He was taken away way to soon.The countless memories we made memories together that i will always remember never forget.you will always have a place in my heart🕊️🤍🥹
It's hard to imagine a world without Deegan's light. He had this amazing way of lighting up every room he walked into. His happiness was infectious, especially when he was surrounded by friends. It's clear how much he loved being with people, and we loved being with him. Deegan will be remembered forever, not just for the joy he brought, but for the way he made each of us feel. He left a mark on all of our hearts, and that's something that time can never erase. Rest in peace Deegan ❤️🕊️
Sending all of our love
I am so sorry for everyone's loss. May you all fine comfort and strength during this difficult time. He is in GODs arms no more pain . You all have a beautiful angel watching over everyone. Be Strong for each other.. GOD Bless you all.. 💜
I'm so sorry for your loss I didn't know him but ready about him he sounded like he was a great guy I've known Tina and her family for many years I went to school with Tina sorry about your loss again 😞
Rest in peace Deegan. You will be missed by so many. You will always be remembered in the wrestling community as a bright, funny, supporting, and uplifting teammate, friend, and brother. These upcoming seasons are for you. Rest in peace, you are loved by so many.❤️🕊️
Im so sorry for you loss, Deegan was so sweet and I'll never forget the small acts of kindness he brought to the school. knowing Deegan since 6th grade and drifting over the years he never let that stop him from a smile and a wave..something many teenagers don't know how to do. Seeing the empty chair in class replacing a loving smile will always hurt... missing that smile
Sending condolences and love to family. Rest in peace. 🤍
to and his family and friends. i did not know deegan personally, but went to school with but had him on snapchat. he was such a sweet soul. prayers for everyone.
It’s hard to put into words what losing Deegan feels like. I can’t remember much of our lives without him—he was simply always there. He had a way of lighting up a room, making you laugh when you needed it most, and showing up for the people he loved without hesitation. One of the things I’ll always hold closest is the way he stood by my Bre through thick and thin. That kind of loyalty and love is rare, and it spoke volumes about the kind of person he was. Deegan wasn’t just a friend—he was family, and he was truly one of a kind. The hole he leaves behind is one that can never be filled. We will miss his laugh, his heart, and the countless memories that made life brighter because he was in it.
My deepest sympathy to your family and friends. What a tragic loss, gone too soon. Thinking of you all ❤️
I am so very sorry for the loss of Deegan. He sounds like an amazing young man. I will continue to keep you in my prayers. May Deegan Rest In Peace ❤️🕊️
I send my condolences to everyone in the family, deegan you were such a bright and wild soul, always had the best energy around. I will never forget new years, it was the best time, your energy is so enlightening. you are missed and loved dearly by so many. Rest in peace, my heart is with you all.
We are so very sorry for your loss.
I'm incredibly sorry for your loss!
Deegan, thank you for being such a wonderful friend to my daughter these past several years. You were kind, supportive, hopeful and funny. The mention of your name would bring a smile to her face and often a chuckle. "Oh Deegan!" I would hear her say. We love you eternally and will remember you forever. Your light will forever shine brightly. Sending our deepest condolences to your loving family in this incredibly heartbreaking loss.
Deegan we tried WAYYY TO MANY new things this summer and you know this, things we can talk about, things we can’t. Our talks and secrets you told me forever gonna be safe with me lil bro. It shatters me to see you go and especially this way. When I was going through everything and felt like I had no one to talk to you, you were always there and always trying to have me get things I had on my chest I could never talk to anyone about besides you, which is weird to me but in a good way you know. One thing and memory again I will never forget is how we would talk from 6-7pm all the way to 5-6am in the morning about just anything to get off our chests. I miss and love the fuck out you lil bro and no one is ever gonna have the spot you had with me. LLDK💔🕊️
No words seem enough. Many prayers and love to you and your family in this difficult time. 🙏🏻
There are no words that can truly ease the pain, but please know our deepest condolences are with you. Your families have been heavy on our hearts and mind lately. Rest in peace, Deegan.
Words cannot express how sorry we are for the loss of a kind and handsome soul. Deegan was a more than a friend but family. Prayers to Amanda, Gia and family during this difficult time! We love you all. ❤️
We’re so sorry for your loss. Praying for comfort and healing.
My sincere condolences to Dennis, Amanda and Family!!! Deegan played a major role in our lives and he will be truly missed. RIP, young man. Your energy lasts forever. Love, Casey, Ashton and Evan.
I pray you’re resting in peace Deegan. It was a pleasure knowing you as a little guy and I’m sure you were turning into a spectacular young man. May the Lord protect you, your family, and friends through this difficult season. ~Adam
Were so sorry for your loss Deegan was a great kid and our prayers go out to Amanda and the whole family may he fly high Deegan LLD love the Prather family
i wrestled with him very briefly, but i’ll always think about him. i’m very sorry, my heart goes out to everyone.
Deegan was the light in everyone’s life. I could never imagine that I would lose him one day. He always made sure I had a smile on my face and I knew he was someone I could talk to always. Knowing that I will not be walking the stage with him at graduation is the biggest heartache. He is gone to soon but will always be missed. I promise to live up to his name and always make sure he is not forgotten. All my love goes out to the family and loved ones that lost him. Love you to the moon and back deegan🕊️ LLDK