Nathan Travis Unruh

Nathan Travis Unruh, a senior electrical engineering major at Northeastern University, died Friday, June 20 due to an obstruction of the windpipe. He was 21 years old.

Mr. Unruh, from Milford, was just 10 days shy of his 22nd birthday.

He graduated from Blackstone Regional Vocational Technical High School in 1999. While in high school, Mr. Unruh was on the U.S. Robotics Team and represented Massachusetts in the nationwide robotics competition in Florida.

At Northeastern, Mr. Unruh co-oped for three years at Raytheon in Lexington doing classified work in the production and design of the Tomahawk and Patriot Missile Guidance Systems used in the war in Iraq. Because of his work, Mr. Unruh received a commendation from the U.S. Air Force in the war for his work in Operation Enduring Freedom.

He is survived by his parents, Walter and Carol Anne (Smith); a brother, Merle Winston of Mendon and his maternal grandmother, Odelle (Bailey) Smith of Franklin, Va.

Services will be said at 11 a.m. on Thursday, June 26 in the Buma-Sargeant Funeral Home on Congress Street in Milford. Visiting hours will be from 5-7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 25 at the funeral home.

Steven Jacob Gacek

Steven Jacob Gacek, a sophomore finance major at NU, died May 30 as a result of a motorcycle accident. He was 20.

Born in New Britain, Conn. to Jacob and Kathleen Gacek, Mr. Gacek was a member of the class of 2000 at Berlin High School.

He participated in several sports including Berlin Youth Sports and the Newington Hockey League. Along with athletics, Mr. Gacek was a musician. He was a member of the McGee Middle School and Berlin High School Bands, where he played the saxophone. He also played the piano.

In addition to his parents, he is survived by his brother, Brian; his great-great uncle Edward Scanlon of West Hartford, Conn.; three aunts, Pat, Nancy and Eileen, all of New Britain, Conn.; an uncle, David of Nantucket; and six cousins.

A funeral Mass was said June 4 at St. Paul’s Church in Kensington, Conn.