In life, Tony McClean, a former Young Life leader in New Zealand, was attached to kids. He coached them, taught them and brought carloads of them to Young Life club when the ministry was in its beginnings there. So it appears fitting that if McClean had to leave this earth at a seemingly premature time, it would be while he was sharing his life with kids.

McClean, a 29-year-old teacher from Howick, New Zealand, was killed on April 15, 2008, as a result of a flash flood. McClean was chaperoning a school-sponsored canyoning trip, which typically involves walking, climbing, swimming and rappelling along a river. Six students also drowned.

One of those students was Tom Hsu, a 16-year-old who had cerebral palsy. Rescue workers found Tom and McClean together — McClean had tried to carry Tom, whose body was found tied to McClean’s back. According to Mike Turinsky, director of Young Life in New Zealand, McClean’s father was told his son’s chances of survival would have been much greater if he were solo. But going solo was not an option for McClean. He was committed to kids. And although he wasn’t a Young Life leader when he died, McClean was one of the mission’s biggest fans. He “applied it to every area of his life,” said Turinsky.

In fact, McClean had sent Turinsky an e-mail the week before he died asking if there were any Young Life leaders who could coach sport teams for the school where he taught. “That was Tony,” she said. “He was always trying to reach the lost or hurting kids at his school and in the greater community.” That passion was evident when a team of Americans came to New Zealand in 1999.

“While most folks were rightfully skeptical about us Americans showing up with some new ideas on youth ministry, Tony was different,” said Jim Kuhlman, who was a part of that early team. “He was eager to befriend us and see for himself if there was value in our methodology of ministry. More than anyone, he seemed to grasp the flavor of Young Life and believed it could be a huge help in reaching lost kids. Tony was a cornerstone for the ministry.”