Nicholas J. "Nic" Stearns, 27, of Milan, died Saturday, March 14, 2015 as a result of a car accident in Texas.

Funeral services are 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the Preemption United Methodist Church. Visitation is 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at the Wheelan-Pressly Funeral Home, Milan. Additional visitation is 9:30 a.m. until service time Saturday at the church. Memorials may be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Nicholas Jeffrey Stearns was born April 24, 1987 in Rockford, Ill., a son of Kevin and Christie Flesner Stearns.

Nic graduated as the salutatorian of the 2005 graduating class from Sherrard High School. He attended Harvard University, Arizona State University and Southern Illinois University. He was a motorcycle safety instructor at Illinois State University and most recently accepted a year round position as a rider coach in Texas.

Nic's passions in life were family, friends and riding motorcycles.

Survivors include his parents; Christie and Jamie Hoffman, Milan, and Kevin and Heidi (Purcell) Stearns, Bartonville, Ill.; brother and sister-in-law, Christopher and Faye Stearns, and their son, Cooper, of Wheaton, Ill.; sister, Jessica Stearns, Milan; brother, Kyle Stearns, Bartonville; grandparents, Fred and Sandra Stearns, Aledo, Gene and Connie Flesner, Milan, John and Cindy Hoffman, Milan, and Bill and Paulette Purcell, Bartonville; and great grandmother, Rita Blackman, Marion, Iowa.

Online condolences may be left at wheelanpressly.com.