Luke Anthony Rondelli

Luke Anthony Rondelli was born on September 3rd, 2008 and passed away on November 4th, 2022. He was 14 years old. Luke means light-giving.

Luke was well known in the Collins Hill community as both a stellar baseball player and dedicated student. He was in the gifted program since 2nd grade. His favorite thing in elementary school was chorus, which he participated in throughout elementary school. He attended Walnut Grove Elementary and Gwinnett Online Academy. Luke was elected to represent Walnut Grove Elementary in the Envision Leadership conference in Washington, D.C., in 2020.

He made every person he met feel loved and respected. Luke opened the school store every day in 5th grade. He was loved by all his classmates and teachers. Luke showed up to Pre-K in a suit and said, “I am President Obama”. He was an incredible human being. Luke was a walking angel who was born with a natural ability to know right from wrong, carried a chair for his mother, and cheered his teammates on every single game. He was an animal lover, gentleman, and looked out for younger children.

Luke started out in life loving sports. He was in gymnastics, flag football and karate. Luke did not like being put on a bench when he went to all the practices so he went to baseball.

He was a passionate and avid baseball player, playing for Collins Hill Athletic Association, as an Eagle, in both Major and Pony Leagues. Luke smiled, win or lose, and was a very athletic center and left fielder, as well as an aspiring pitcher and in-fielder. He finished Fall 2022 with the best batting average for his team, stolen bases and RBIs. Luke was so passionate about baseball that he insisted his parents get him there first to every practice and game. He was known as the heart of the team with his kindness and pure joy of simply playing the game. Luke made his first travel ball team in Fall 2022 and took private lessons with Coach Kevin Renz and strength training at Undiscovered. Luke enjoyed playing baseball for the fun of game. His last baseball practice, on Field 2, at Collins Hill Park, there was a scrimmage against the other Collins Hill Pony Team, i.e. our friends. It was Luke’s turn to swing the bat. He was on home plate, swung twice, and all the lights in the park went out and we were sent home. Maybe, those were the angels coming to get him.

Luke’s smile, eyes and heart will never be forgotten. He will be missed terribly by everyone who loved him. His mom always said she loved him to heaven and back.

Luke is survived by his parents, Paul and Jennifer, and his older sister, Laila (17). The family has resided in Gwinnett County Luke’s entire life. Luke is also survived by his maternal grandparents, Sam and Vicky Frazier (Anderson, SC), paternal grandparents, Alyce and Steve Vaughan (Flagler Beach, FL), and Paul and Dottie Rondelli, Sr. (Starke, FL), many beloved aunts and uncles, and several cousins. Luke was preceded in death by his rescue dog, Ranger.

His services will be held on November 19th at Wages & Sons funeral home. There will be an open casket from 9-10 a.m., a closed casket from 10-11 a.m., and a funeral service at 11 a.m. Refreshments will be served after the funeral, in the Orchid Room. Everyone is invited to wear green, in honor of # 99.

A special thank you to CHAA for honoring Luke with a plaque at the park located by the concession stand, Undiscovered Baseball Academy for starting the Luke Rondelli annual college fund, Sunny’s BBQ for catering Luke’s funeral and to the director’s at Dacula baseball league.