Weeks after Wedding, Stagg Grads Parted by Death

Celebration quickly turned to consolation for two families, one mourning the death of a son, the other grieving the loss of a new husband and soon-to-be dad.

Married just five weeks ago, Kristy and Mike Centeno, both graduates of Amos Alonzo Stagg High School, had just learned they were expecting their first child when Mike died from an undiagnosed ailment while hunting Tuesday, Dec. 15. Loyal hunting dog Bullet stayed by his lifeless body as he lay in a Joliet field.

Though the couple had just begun a new chapter in their lives, their story began years earlier.

‘The Hunt Is Over’

Kristy always hoped she would marry Mike, and she wasn’t the only one. As a teen, Kristy became best friends with Mike’s sister Sandy, and the two would daydream about some day becoming sisters-in-law.

Mike would marry someone else first, a union that ended in his own heartache. He and Kristy began dating when he was 36 and she was 31. Kristy quickly aspired to become Mrs. Centeno, but Mike was scarred and skeptical from his previous experience. Meanwhile, Sandy married his best friend, also a hunting enthusiast like Mike. Together their close circle of friends and family thrived.

It took two years for Mike to buy a ring, and three more years for him to propose. At the bridal shower months ago, Sandy hung a sign reading, “The Hunt Is Over,” symbolizing the perfect match they had found in each other.

“Inevitable,” said Santor, of the nature of their relationship and long-awaited marriage. They were wed Nov. 5, surrounded by immediate family tucked inside a small chapel at one of his favorite hunting sites in Iowa.

“Mike was everything Kristy ever dreamed of in a man, a relationship and in a husband,” said Kristy’s mom Jackie Brost. “They were both eagerly awaiting the next phase of their relationship as parents.

“Mike was the love of her life.”

‘Confident in God’s Plan’

With newly printed wedding photos covering the table top, and the announcement to family that they were expecting their first child in May, Centeno’s death rocked the worlds of his family and friends.

“It couldn’t be more involved,” said Santor, of the far-reaching impact of his death. She clings to her Christian faith for comfort.

“I am confident that God has a plan, and there is a reason for this,” she said.

Now a Joliet resident, Kristy will receive some of the proceeds to help provide for their child. Her parents Robert and Jackie Brost are turning to their community of Hickory Hills for help. Their plea is echoed by Centeno’s parents Cruz and Sandra, longtime residents of Palos Hills.

“On Friday we learned that Kristy is expecting a baby girl,” wrote Mary Santor, Kristy’s aunt. “What a joy and a blessing I know she will be.”