Karl Germain, 25, an Evanston resident and sergeant in the U.S. Army, died Wednesday of injuries sustained in an automobile accident on Interstate 94.
Germain moved to Evanston from Haiti with his family in 1987. He graduated from Evanston Township High School in 1995 and had been in the Army for four years.
“He liked the Army,” said his longtime friend Loretta Cox, who attended ETHS with Germain. “He was sweet, always joking around with me.”
Cox said she would sit and talk about the future with Germain.
“He talked about wanting to have a family and kids and travel around the U.S.,” she said.
In addition to video games, Germain played several sports, including basketball, soccer and volleyball. Germain’s brother Patrick said the family’s three boys would wrestle occasionally. Germain’s stepfather, Solomon Gibson, said Germain was a good wrestler and remembers the time spent playing basketball with his stepson.
Gibson said Germain used to help him clean up around the house and cut the grass.
“We liked to go out together,” Gibson said. “We would talk a lot. I tried to keep him on the right track. He took everything in.”
Gibson said Germain was a kind man, devoted to his mother and close to his family.
“He would talk about the old times,” Gibson said. “He was shocked when he got here because he was coming from such a warm country to a cold country. (But) they liked it here.”
Patrick Germain, 28, said his brother enjoyed going to clubs with his friends and taking trips, including a visit to the Caribbean.
“He was the type of person who got along even with his enemies,” his brother said. “He was a very good guy who you could rely on for anything. He was any good word you can think of.”
In addition to his stepfather and brother Patrick, Germain is survived by his mother, Marlene Gibson; another brother, Ralph; sisters Cassandra and Sabrina; two aunts, Irma Jean-Pierre and Myrtha Eliacin; and an uncle, Loevelt Eliacin.
Visitation was held Sunday. A funeral service will be at 9 a.m. Monday at Donnellan Family Funeral Home, 1571 Maple Ave., followed by Mass at St. Mary Church, 1012 Lake St.
