Evan had the stories at a young age and I loved hearing them.  One day when I was dropping Olivia off at the sitters he had just turned 2 and it was Halloween.  He was going to be a hunter and go get a big buck.  I mentioned eating it and you should have seen the look in his face.  I can still seen him sitting in the high chair eating breakfast and appalled at what I just said.  

Also, birthday parties at the lake and getting together with Aurora teachers.  

I never had the pleasure of having Evan in class during my time at Aurora but I did witness his smile light up the hallway at Aurora JH & Aurora HS. I know how much his family and friends loved him and how much his teachers treasured the time of him being in their classroom. There are no words to adequately convey our sadness for the loss of such a beautiful young life. Our prayers are continually with the Boettler family and the entire Aurora community. 

We love you all. Evan, you will be so missed and always loved. 

Love- Chris & Alyssa Kennedy

From Addi: I’ll always remember Evan helping me crab hunt when we went to the beach. We also climbed rocks in Colorado. Evan made a snowman & went sledding with me too. 

I’ve tried to narrow down a memory, but honestly there are too many to share. I will always remember the camping trips, family gatherings, bon fires & a few vacations we all took together. Every camping trip Evan was always so excited to come in off the boat & show us his big catch! 

He always entertained Addi when he didn’t have to. When Baylor was a baby he really didn’t want to hold him because he was too small. As Baylor got older he interacted with him more & always mentioned how funny & cute Baylor was. 

Evan will be missed greatly. He had the biggest heart & a contagious smile. He was always so kind & polite. I plan to teach my kids to be adventurous just like Evan was & to keep his spirit alive so they can remember what a great cousin he really was! 

Evan was so kind, so smart, and so special.  I called him Mini Brad.  He was an old soul and such a good kid.  He watched my little girl (with a little help from Sikenan and Brad and Kari) one afternoon and all I heard about was Eban (Evan).  She loved him so much and had so much fun.  He always played with my kids.  

I never realized how much I talk about Evan and think about him until I started paying attention.  I found myself saying "when Evan was little he would just walk into his room and put himself to bed" or "when Evan was little he had a little raspy voice like just like that kid, it was so cute" or when my kids are being wild before bed I will say "Uh-oh, they are in Mad Mode (which is what Brad would say about Evan when he was little)".  That list goes on.  

They say you die twice- Once when you leave this world behind and the second time when someone says your name for the last time.  I think we will all be telling stories and talking about how wonderful Evan was for a long, long time to come. I know I will. 

A message from my twins (they are 3):

Me: "August, what does Evan say?"

August: "Be nice!" 

Me: "Isla, what does Evan say?"

Isla: "He's fun."

-My take away: They know Evan would say to be nice and have fun!

Memories of this family go way back.  A trip to Memphis for a  jiu-jitsu tournament,  elementary school honor choir, soccer games,  choir concerts...Brad and Kari always so kind and supportive of their kids. Always supportive of other kids too. Always there. 

Evan always told me thank you when we brought food for the boys before a soccer game.  Always smiled and said "Good game" to other teammates even after a rough game. Samuel and Evan coached their first soccer team together.  Honestly thankful that Evan was  organized and had it under control. Evan was such a great leader! Samuel told me that. 

My deepest condolences to you and all of your family. I will try harder every day to better myself to honor your son.  Sending love to you all, and may you find peace and comfort.

Jill Freitas 

I will always remember Evan for his love of helping and being with his parents and sister. It always seemed that when I saw Brad working on a project, Evan was right there patiently listening, observing, and learning. Even if he didn’t have a job to do, Evan was there to lend a hand and help anyone he could.

I can still see the pride and excitement in his eyes when he was given the independent job of cutting and hanging pieces of siding on a recent project. He measured at least twice, cut carefully, and made sure each piece was nailed in level. He had a skip in his step and a laser focus on putting up each piece perfectly so the longer section above would fit. His section merged with the larger section, and everything matched up perfectly. His grin said everything about how excited and proud he was to do that task.

I will always remember and cherish the time we got with Evan. He was happy, fun, and never too proud to be sweet to our young kids (and even to his sister). Just a few weeks ago he helped watch our daughter and his patient and charming nature had her talking about spending time with Evan for days afterwards.

Just like my daughter, I’ll be remembering Evan and talking about his wise spirit, his love for the outdoors and his love for his family for decades to come. It is a tragedy that this world, community, and family lost such an amazing man.