NJ High School Pays Fitting Tribute, Mourns Star Athlete's Death

They found a way to pay tribute to a star athlete that was certainly fitting and appropriate.

They wrote on their sneakers.

And it was a very simple hashtag:

#welovechris

It was one of several ways a New Jersey high school was saying goodbye to Christopher Patrick Hennion while also mourning the star senior athlete who died suddenly over the weekend.

A number of High Point Regional High School students and the school district were paying tribute to him on social media, showing pictures of the various things they were doing to honor Chris.

And besides writing on their sneakers, people were also wearing T-shirts that Chris himself designed (see the tributes below).

Hennion, 18, of Branchville died unexpectedly on Saturday at home, according to his obituary. He was a star hockey player and a senior at High Point Regional High School.

School officials conferred with a team of counselors prior to the start of school Monday morning and had a crisis management team in place for the start of the school day, according to the New Jersey Herald.

Principal Jon Tallamy announced Chris's passing to the school staff and the approximately 900-member student body shortly after school began Monday, according to the Herald. A copy of the announcement was attached to an email that was sent later to all parents.

"It is with a heavy heart that I share with you all that one of our students, Chris Hennion, has passed away," Tallamy wrote, according to the story. "Our thoughts and sympathies are with his family and friends."

Chris was born in Cham, Switzerland and raised in Branchville. He played league ice hockey and enjoyed drawing and hanging out with his friends, according to his obituary from the Wood Funeral Home.

Chris had three goals, two assists and five points during the 2017-18 season, according to nj.com.

Chris had already been planning his future, and he'd been accepted into the computer science program at Penn College of Technology, according to his obituary.

He always had an interest in computer science and interactive media and even took architectural classes in school, according to the obituary.

Here are some of the tributes being paid to Chris:

Chris is survived by his parents, Mark and Elisabeth (Dahl) Hennion; his sisters, Victoria and Madeleine Hennion; his paternal grandparents, Harry and Marion Hennion; his maternal grandparents, Torben and Ilse Dahl; as well as his extended family and many close friends.

A viewing will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m., Thursday at Wood Funeral Home, 16 Main St., Branchville. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 a.m. Friday at the Immaculate Conception R.C. Church, 75 Church St., Franklin, followed by a burial in Branchville Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial donations be made to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, Mental Health Association of New York City, 50 Broadway, Fl 19, New York, NY 10004.

Online condolences may be offered at www.woodfuneralhome.net.

Photo courtesy of the Wood Funeral Home