BERLIN, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – A vigil was held Friday night for 11-year-old Easton Thom.
Easton lost his life in a hunting accident in Green Lake County Sunday morning.
Friends and family of Easton gathered to light candles, pray, and share tearful memories.
“It’s made me hug my child a lot tighter, a lot longer, as a community member it’s made me proud of where we are from because so many people have come together for this family,” says vigil organizer, Kathleen Nechkash.
Everyone attending the vigil Friday night was encouraged to wear blaze orange.
“He was a hunter, and we come from a hunting community, and we just wanted to show that orange has become Easton’s color,” says Nechkash.
Vigil organizer Tara Schubert tells FOX 11 they want the Thom family to feel supported and loved.
“It’s like constantly people are coming with ideas to help the family and its really heartwarming, that part of it.”
Family and friends of Easton were able to light lanterns into the sky.
“This could have happened to anyone, could have been any one of our children, and we just want to be there because we would hope that everyone would be there for us,” says Nechkash.
Donations were collected during the vigil for the Thom family.
“He’s not just their child, he’s Berlin’s child,” says Nechkash.
“And they should just be able to grieve in peace and not have to worry financially or anything. They should just be able to do whatever they need to do to make it through this, and feel loved,” says Schubert.
Organizers from Friday night’s vigil say this is not unusual for the Berlin community to come together and support each other in hard times.
The investigation for the hunting incident is still on-going.
Contributions to the Thom Family Benefit Account can be made by calling Farmers & Merchants Bank of Berlin at 1-920-361-1454 or in person at 123 W. Huron St. in Berlin.
Donations can also be mailed to:
Farmers & Merchants Bank
PO Box 270
Berlin, WI 54923
