In 2005, when he was only 20 years old, Kurt Oblinger underwent a heart transplant that saved his life.

He decided to spend as much of his remaining time as possible helping others receive the organ transplants they needed.

Five years ago, Mr. Oblinger founded Team Oblinger to raise money for the American Heart Association . So far, it's raised nearly $100,000. Mr. Oblinger, an upbeat, gregarious young man, also spoke to high schools and many community groups about the importance of organ donations.

Mr. Oblinger, 26, of Delhi Township, died of heart failure on April 24 at Ohio State University Medical Center in Columbus.

"Kurt had a great ability to connect with people," said Andi Johnson, spokeswoman for Life Center Organ Donor Network in downtown Cincinnati. "He moved us miles ahead in terms of reaching out to the community about the need to register to be an organ and tissue donor."

He founded Team Oblinger to honor the memory of his brother, Keith, who died at age 26 in a car accident on Feb. 20, 2005, the day before Kurt found out he needed a heart transplant. Like Kurt, Keith had been diagnosed with congestive heart disease when he was 20, but he recovered with medication.

"He made the most of the six years he received after his transplant," said his mother, Carole Oblinger. "If you needed something, he'd find a way to help you."

Mr. Oblinger graduated from Elder High School in 2003. He played on Elder's first hockey team. His father, Thomas, and his brothers, Keith and Kellen, served as assistant coaches. Kellen, who lives in Harrison, still coaches there.

Mr. Oblinger earned a bachelor's degree in business in 2007 from the University of Dayton. He worked for an insurance company and then for a Napa Auto Parts store.

But he always found time to help raise funds for the American Heart Association and to speak publicly about the need for organ and tissue donations. He volunteered for the biennial Transplant Games, an event that changes locations each time.

In a 2006 Cincinnati Enquirer story about his participation in the Mercy Heart Mini-Marathon in honor of Keith, Mr. Oblinger talked about the profound impact his brother's death and his heart transplant had on his outlook on life.

"You have to live your life by the day and appreciate everything," he said. "You learn not to complain as much about things."

Mr. Oblinger's family asked people who had Team Oblinger T-shirts to wear them at his memorial Mass last Friday at St. Teresa of Avila Church in Price Hill. One of Mr. Oblinger's friends had hundreds printed up so they could be passed out to people who didn't already have them. A donation box for the American Heart Association was placed near the church's entrance.

Carole Oblinger said Mr. Oblinger would have been delighted to see the church packed with people wearing the T-shirts, which had been made in a different color each year.

"It was beautiful to see everyone in all those colors," she said.

Besides his parents of Sayler Park and his brother, Kellen, Mr. Oblinger is survived by a sister, Mollie Oblinger of Ripon, Wis., and a niece, Payton Oblinger.

The Seifert-Hardig & Brater Funeral Home in Sayler Park handled the funeral arrangements.

Memorials may be made to the Keith Oblinger Scholarship Fund, Elder High School, 3900 Vincent Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio OH 45205; St. Aloysius on the Ohio, 134 Whipple, Cincinnati, OH 45233; American Heart Association , P.O. Box 15120, Chicago, IL 60693; or Life Center, 615 Elsinore Place, #400, Cincinnati, OH 45202.