Teen killed in home explosion near Troy remembered for humor, loyalty to family

A teenager who died in a home explosion near Troy is being remembered for “his loyalty, love and sense of responsibility.”

Ayden Riley Hendrickson, 19, was one of three people who died in the blast reported late Easter night. He was pronounced dead at the scene early on April 6.

“Ayden’s greatest love was his family,” his obituary, posted by Irwin Chapel of Glen Carbon, says. “He was fiercely protective, especially of his sister, Sophia, whom he adored. His loyalty, love, and sense of responsibility toward those closest to him were defining parts of who he was.”

He was working as an apprentice mechanic with Boeing and had plans to become a SWAT officer.

Hendrickson enjoyed playing football and was a member of the track team at Collinsville High School. Along with sports, he “loved music of all kinds, curating playlists that could shift from one genre to another in an instant,” according to his obituary.

“He will be remembered for his sharp sense of humor, his sarcasm and his easygoing nature that made people feel comfortable and welcomed.”

A memorial visitation for Hendrickson will be 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday at Irwin Chapel at 591 Glen Crossing Road in Glen Carbon.

A private funeral service will be held at a later date.

Services have not been announced to the two others who were killed, Madeleine I. Maxeiner, 18, of Troy and Paisley Nishwitz, 12, of Troy.

Two GoFundMe pages have been established to help the families.

The Madison County Sheriff’s Office said there were multiple explosions in the house and the initial explosion was “due to the mishandling of commercial-grade energetic material.”

“Energetic material” includes “explosives, propellants and pyrotechnics,” according to a report from the Journal of Energetic Materials.

One person suffered significant burn injuries and was transported to a St. Louis-area hospital.

State and/or federal charges are pending further investigation, the sheriff’s office said.

The explosion occurred late on April 5 in the 8000 block of West Kirsch Road, just west of O’Fallon-Troy Road.