Work. I joke its a 4 letter word. I also tell the kids they don't spell work F-U-N. I joke about it as I have generally liked my jobs.  One person who was never afraid of work? Nate.

Like many things with Nate, it started early on. He was an entrepreneur out of the gate.

He started mowing lawns for money really early on. Maybe he was 13? I don't remember for sure but I do remember this: he mowed several lawns of our immediate neighbors. Mowing is sweaty, hot work. Did that bother Nate? Nope.  He wanted more lawns.  He wanted to be able to mow lawns that were further away (more work = more money!). However, as a pre-driving teen, he needed a way to get his mower around to other houses. I wanted to support his desire to earn money so I told him I would take him anywhere he needed to go with his mower.

Nate didn't want to depend on me. I think independence was his middle name and he wanted to be able to do it on his time and not need me or anyone else. I forget if I suggested it or if he thought of it (probably the later), but we decided to build him a mower trailer for his bike. Something that he could hook to his bike, put the mower, gas cans and other stuff on, and pedal all of it around to his "jobs".

Together, we purchased an older bicycle tow behind for 2 kids. We stripped off all the fabric, stripped off all the upper framing holding the fabric until we were left with just the base frame and tow mechanism, wheels and axle. After some measuring, we cut out a wood platform to fit onto the frame and mounted it.

Nate was excited! We tested it out and figured out how to get the mower on and off, how to strap it down, where a gas can could fit, etc. There was definitely some trial and error as the mower weighed more than the bike and we tipped the bike over several times while figuring out how to load the mower.

Then off Nate went to knock on doors and find more lawn customers! I must say it was pretty cool watching Nate pedal off down the street with a trailer in tow with a mower strapped to it. He thought work was cool and I think he felt like the coolest kid in the neighborhood towing around that mower. He never lost that desire to work as he became a teen and learned to drive. Once that happened, it all swapped form a bike and trailer to his truck. Hard work? Sweaty work? Challenging work? Nate would show up and work!

I am bummed I don't have any photos of Nate towing his mower. I only have pics of the bike he used when he got it for Christmas 2016 (so he was 12 when he got the bike). If any of you have a picture of Nate and his mower trailer, send it my way (and post it here)!

Wonder what work Nate is doing now? I love you and miss you Nate!

Nate loved creating things early on and like a lot of kids, he was fascinated by guns. An airsoft gun was as far as Leslie and I would even consider going early on. Airsoft was all the rage for a while.

Then Nate caught wind of "potato cannons". Nate wanted one.  He wanted one really bad. He had caught wind of them from friends or social media (not sure which) and wanted one. I thought it might create some memories and laughs, so I got Nate a small one for Christmas one year and we took it to the lake.  We played with it a couple days.  It was about 2 feet long and made a loud "plunk" when you fired it and shot a chunk of potato about 150 feet or so. It made us giggle and grin ear to ear.

Nate wanted a bigger one and now I did too!  Our reasoning: if a small one made us giggle and was fun, a large one would make us laugh hysterically and be ridiculously fun. We couldn't find one to buy. Nate asked if we could build one. Well, if you know me, you know I like fixing and building things so we set off to figure it out and build a "larger" potato cannon.

We scoured some websites and blogs and decided the materials and what we wanted to build.  A trip to the home store and we were ready.  We bought some high pressure PVC of different diameters, some fittings for it, some pvc glue, and a grill ignitor. We already had the tools to finish the build - saw, drill, screwdriver, grinding wheel.

We spent some time in the garage measuring and cutting the PVC, glueing the pieces together just right, grinding down the barrel end to an edge so potatoes would be easier to stuff into the barrel, etc.  The hardest part: figuring out how to get the ignitor spark to happen inside the "pressure chamber".  The wires can't be touching but the gap between the wires has to be small so the spark can jump the gap.  The wires are really flexible so we improvised by using a couple of screws put in from opposite sides so the screw ends were just a fraction of an inch apart in the middle.  We attached the 2 wires to the 2 screws and fiddled and adjusted and fiddled and adjusted to get it right where a spark was a good size and consistently worked. After a few hours of building all this, fiddling with the ignitor and after a ton of anticipation, we finished and headed to the lake. I wasn't comfortable test firing it in our neighborhood. Too many people and houses nearby! We stopped on the way to the lake to get the final ingredients needed - some potatoes and hairspray (hairspray is the propellant, or rather, it creates the explosion that launches the potato).

At the lake, we put the barrel into the chamber (they were intentionally not permanent b/c the whole thing was pretty large and transporting it is easier when it comes apart). We crammed a potato into the end and shoved it down to the base of the barrel, sprayed some hairspray in the combustion chamber for a couple seconds, screwed the end cap onto it, pointed it into the sky at an angle toward some woods, and pressed the ignitor button.

Click, click click went the grill ignitor.  The same sound you hear when you light your gas grill.

Press it again and again - click, click, click.

Hmmm. Must not be enough hairspray. Unscrew, 2 more seconds of hairspray, screw cap, point it in the air toward the woods, press the button.

POW! IT SOUNDED LIKE A SHOTGUN!

We looked at each other absolutely stunned and yelled "OH MY GOD!" (I may have said something slightly more aggressive...) and began laughing so hard that tears formed in our eyes!  We could not stop laughing! "WE HAVE TO DO THAT AGAIN!" Nate shouted.

We unscrewed the cap, loaded another potato, shoved it down the barrel, sprayed 3-4 seconds of hairspray, screwed the cap on, pointed away and pressed the ignitor.

POW! It must have launched the potato 300 feet in the air and about 400 feet away from us in a big arc.

Two giddy idiots - one of us 40 something and one of us about 8 years old. We proceeded to launch potatoes into the air for 10 or more firings and laugh hysterically after every single firing of the potato cannon. We only stopped because I was afraid the police might come - it was so loud! Spectacularly loud.

Since then, Nate has decorated the outside with some drawings and we still fire it off occasionally and have launched things other than potatoes out of it. We treated it like a gun - always mindful of where it was pointed and especially careful once you put hairspray in it.

Hours of fun and uncontrollable laughter with that thing.

I am going to have to launch a few potatoes this summer and every single launch I think Nate will be laughing up there.  Big grin on his face even as we load it up and prepare. If you come to the lake with us and want to join in, bring a bag of potatoes!

I miss you and love you Nate!

Today I want to share my eulogy from yesterday’s service. It was amazing to see that many people there affected by our loss of Nate.

After watching that video, I am reminded of so many incredible memories and I hope the video brings back fond memories for each and every one of you too. I also think about how blessed we are.

- We have an embarrassment of blessings and I don’t plan to let this tragedy take that awareness away from me - and I will try to help all of you remember that also.

- I am completely humbled by the blessings that have been bestowed upon us. People tell me this isn’t by accident. I agree with them. It is a plan - but not just our plan. I firmly believe it is a plan from a higher power - from God. Leslie and I try to treat others with respect and love and I gotta tell you, what we have received back these past couple weeks has been enough to bring me to tears - literally. I have cried not only from the pain of losing Nate, but I have also cried thinking about all the love and support we have received from you. Most of you are also devastated by the loss of Nate and grieving with us, yet you show up to help us and love us.

I want you to know. I want you to hear me say it - we are all going to be OK. There his hope. There is a lot of light in this darkness. God does not give us burdens that we cannot handle. God knows that we have an incredible community that supports us and lifts us up. Thank you for that.

I want to talk about Nate for a minute. We are all here to celebrate his life. A life too short but absolutely filled with rich experiences and richer relationships. That richness bestowed some wisdom on Nate. I want to share with you some of that wisdom or at least what I think that wisdom is. Maybe Nate shared some of these tidbits with you, maybe not.

Now, there is a difference between knowledge and wisdom. I am probably not the first to tell you that and I don’t recall ever discussing this with Nate, but I think he knew it well. I want to share what I think Nate would want us to know and carry forward:

Knowledge is knowing who matters in your world. 

Wisdom is letting them know they do.

Knowledge is knowing a hug makes your mother’s (or father’s) day. 

Wisdom is giving one before she asks.

Knowledge: Knowing your friends are a little uncomfortable when you hug them (especially young adults).

Wisdom: knowing they will get used to it, and in fact miss it terribly when you are gone.

Knowledge is recognizing you don’t know their story— not the weight they carry, not the wounds they hide.

Wisdom is helping anyway, because one day, you might be the one hoping for kindness with no questions.

Knowledge says: smiles are easy, effortless things.

Wisdom knows: they open doors, melt walls, and make space for joy to slip in quietly, then stay a while.

Knowledge is knowing we all carry burdens.

Wisdom is carrying yours gently, and making room for others burdens.

Knowledge is knowing when you are wrong

Wisdom is saying your sorry and reaching out to make amends

Knowledge says you may fall short or fail

Wisdom says the journey is worth the scars

I hope that many of you have felt or received these from Nate - I know for a fact that every person who ever met Nate has received a smile!

So if you find yourself wandering in the coming weeks or months as you grieve Nate. If you are at a loss and don’t know what to do, look back at Nate’s wisdom.

- Tell those that matter to you that you love them. Show them you care and respect them.

- Hug your mother, it will make her heart happy or as my mom always said, it will make her heart sing!

- While your at it, give your friends a hug too

- When you know you are wrong, say your sorry and move toward healing

- Smile - it will lift up those around you and may just lead to some laughter (and spontaneous dancing or adventures in mischief if you are really channeling Nate).

Thank you again for coming and sharing some time with us. We love you and we love Nate.r

Dan, 

I’ve been reading your memories and reflecting on how fortunate you were to have a son like Nate and how fortunate Nate was to have a dad (and family) like you, living a life full of love, adventure and laughter   - motorcycle treks in the desert, surfing, boating, high school sports, riske haircuts, trampolines.

My wife, my children, your former teammates at work were heartbroken to hear about Nate’s passing. After reading your memories I (we) remain inspired by the model you, your family and especially Nate continue to set in the world - for our children, and for all of us.

We’ll (I’ll) continue to take inspiration from you and Nate on living a life of purpose and joy. 

Sending you and your family love always!

- Adela, Oz and the kids

Trampolines are like motorcycles - a little risky, exhilarating, fun alone but ridiculously fun with a buddy or two!

Nate loved trampolines. Bouncing high and feeling like you were floating, doing silly "tricks" like landing on your butt or stomach and bouncing back up to your feet, etc.

Nate's first migraine was immediately after a trampoline experience at my mom and dad's house in Charlottesville (they were affectionally called Bammy and Bampy - so named by my niece, Amy, because she couldn't say Grammy and Grampy. Once Amy called them Bammy and Bampy, those nicknames became music to their ears! Back to the story...). Bammy and Bampy's neighbor had a trampoline that they had offered for us to use anytime we were in town.  So all the cousins bounced their heads off. After a while of coming off the trampoline, Nate got a "terrible headache". Bammy recognized it because she got them and unfortunately passed them to me and, on this day,  we found out that I had passed them to Nate.  Ugh! After a lot of crying and moaning in pain and some vomiting (yes, they hurt so bad you vomit!), Nate made it through.

So - bounce on a trampoline, get a Migraine? Is that what to expect from now on for Nate? Did the trampoline cause it? I gotta tell you, that sucks because trampolines are fun. (If I knew trampoline's gave me migraines, I would never touch one again. I'd rather you cut my arm off!) Enter the dilemma for Nate. He LOVED trampolines. So much fun with cousins and friends (and mom and dad when we could jump on them without risking going into traction back then!).

My sister, Kelly, also had a trampoline. We were visiting them in Allentown and the cousins (Amy, Molly, Grant, Nate, Emily Grace) all wanted to jump on the trampoline. It was too much fun for Nate to pass up. He gave it a go and they had a ridiculous time. Our rule was only 2 on the trampoline at a time as the risk goes up of kids landing on each other and breaking bones or crashing heads. (Trips to the ER tend to ruin the fun for everyone.) Well the cousins spent hours jumping on the trampoline alone or two at a time. They put kickballs and exercise balls in there with them at one point and that seemed to be like putting gasoline on a fire of fun! We supervised to make sure it didn't get out of control (at least, we told ourselves that's what we were doing!). One of our favorite pictures of trampoline fun is captured above: Nate is captured a few feet in the  air bouncing on top of an exercise ball (how on earth did he do that!?), Molly has her arm cocked about to rip a beach ball of some sort right at Nate's head, and Grant is standing there waiting his turn to get in on the action. I mean, this was pure, unadulterated fun for the kids and I am not sure who laughed harder that day - the kids or us parents "supervising".

Perhaps the best part for Nate - no migraine. The first one must have been random chance that it happened that day. Neither of us know what causes them for us but we both suspect it is stress.

Trampolines were back on Nate's agenda and many a day was spent bouncing and laughing with friends and family.

You know what doesn't exist where Nate is now? Migraines. Amen.

Love you and miss you Nate Baker!

Leslie and Dan, I am sorry I haven't posted sooner.     As I have tried to sit down several times to recount some stories about Nate, the tears have flowed more freely than words.   

I have so many good memories of Nate.   More than I ever realized, and I took for granted that we would have the opportunity to make many more.      I have known Nate since he was a little boy.      I had the privilege to coach Nate as he was starting out on his path to becoming an excellent lacrosse goalie, and I remember in the early years he was pretty darn good with a D-pole as well, before he fully committed to focusing on playing between the pipes.     He played with my son Matt from the time they were in 4th grade (it might even have been 3rd) up through their senior year at Deep Run, and there are more great memories than I can count.   Looking back on it all now, those times when we were just hanging out between games at travel tournaments, listening to all the goofy stuff the boys were talking about (which usually involved teasing and harassing each other over various subject matters) are much more precious memories than who won and who lost.  

As I sit at my computer writing this, Nate and his teammates from the Code U11 Summer 2015 team are looking down at me from a photo on my office wall...one of my favorite photos.     Nate, Matt, Joe R, Sebass, Logan M., Charlie S., Robbie L. - all these little boys that I have had the honor to coach for a few years in their youth and now I've seen them grow up to be a group of wonderful young men.   I love that they are still good friends.   

I remember one Fusion tournament in particular that was in Baltimore.   We had some time to kill after the games were over the first day, and I volunteered to take 5 of the boys to the Baltimore Aquarium.     Arriving at the ticket booth, I was dismayed to see how expensive it would be for 6 of us to get in.     I think most of the boys were 13 that summer, and there was a significant discount for 12 and under.    Nate confidently strode up to the counter and said "one ticket for 12 and under please", and flashed his trademark smile.    He got in for the discounted price, and the rest of the boys followed suit!    We had a great time that day.

When Nate and his friends were juniors in high school,  several families rented a large house in OBX.    We had a blast that week and did our best to forget about how much COVID was screwing up the world.     I remember some lively t-ball games on the beach between the dads and the boys.     I'm pretty sure Nate struck me out at least twice.   

We bought Matt an old used Jeep Wrangler for his 16th birthday.     Matt loves his Jeep and still has it, but I know he also loved and appreciated Nate's truck.    He (and all of us) were impressed at how mechanically inclined Nate was.   Many discussions were had about lift kits, tire sizes, engine tuning and exhaust glass packs.    Matt could probably elaborate further, but I remember some detailed discussions about what Nate did to his truck to make it sound better, and what Matt needed to do with the Jeep to make it the same!  

Speaking of being mechanically inclined, I once paid Nate to fix our lawn mower.   Pretty impressive for a high school kid to be able to break down a motor and put it back together.    It still runs great!

I remember Dan and I taking the boys to Bobs  Cycle Barn in Charles City (aka Charles City Dirt Riders) for a day of dirt bike riding all over trails of various difficulty (I stuck to the easy ones, the Baker men were much more adventurous), including a small motocross circuit.     Such a fun time watching the boys zipping around in the mud and dust.

We had many annual ski trips to Snowshoe with the Bakers and other families.    That random Henrico County school holiday in January would be circled on the calendar months in advance, targeted as a long weekend trip to the mountains of WVA to ski and snowboard.   It made getting over the Christmas holidays and having to go back to school more tolerable with that weekend to look forward to.    I was always happy when  Matt was out snowboarding with Nate, because I knew Nate would get them back safely, no matter how adventuresome they were (and I'm pretty sure they blazed their own trails down the mountain a time or two, judging by the scratches on their boards)  

We also discovered that Superbowl Sunday is a great day to hit the slopes, because the crowds are significantly reduced.     I took Matt and Nate to Wintergreen on one such Sunday and we all had a blast.   Heading home that evening, we stopped at McDonalds in Charlottesville for dinner and to watch a few minutes of the Superbowl, which we had been listening to on the car radio.   The Falcons were beating the crap out of New England that year.    I think we left McDonalds at halftime, and it was something crazy like 28-3.    We didn't even listen to the game for the rest of the way home.   The boys shared with me some of their favorite music that they were currently listening to, and I tried to educate them on the finer points of 80's rap and Classic Rock.      As we got back to Richmond, I told them there was no use catching the end of the game, since it was such a blowout, and to get the last bit of their homework done.    Checking the score as we dropped Nate off, we realized that the Patriots had stormed all the way back!   No homework got done that night until the game ended!

Nate, you will be forever missed so very much by the Carter family.    We love you!     

-Rob Carter

Nate's spirit of adventure started really early.  He was always the one to try new things and I think he got an exhilaration from the whole process of doing new things - from thinking about it, planning it, envisioning what it might be like, to realizing he was going to actually try it, to making attempts at whatever it was and then (normally) accomplishing it. They didn't have to be physically challenging or demanding things either. I will get to a "simple" one below.

I find that surprising because when Nate was really little, he was afraid of the wind!  Or afraid of the wind moving the trees - we never figured it out which it was. He hated the trees moving from the wind. For a while when he was really young, when the trees moved due to the wind, he would have no part of going outside. I remember many times asking him if he wanted to go out and play in the yard. He would immediately look out the nearest window up in the air at the top of the trees. If they were moving, he would say no in a slightly frightened way shaking his head slightly side to side quickly. If the trees were still, he would say yes.

I found that fascinating because if the wind was created by us moving, he was fine with it. We would go on the boat and ride along the water and there would be plenty of wind as we went down the lake at 20 or 25 miles an hour. That wouldn't bother him at all.

Maybe that is where his love of the water started? The wind wasn't scary when you were on a boat moving. It was fun!

This brings me to one of his exhilaration stories. Nate felt that exhilaration on the water.  When we were fortunate enough to buy our home on Lake Anna, one of the things we got with it was a ~10 foot boat. It had a canopy and oars to be able to row it around the cove.  Nate loved that thing and begged me to get him a trolling motor for it so he could drive it around the cove. So I watched FB marketplace and found a trolling motor for sale and picked one up, ordered a battery and battery box to power it and set it up.

Nate was giddy about it and loved taking it around the cove. We made some rules (life jackets mandatory, don't leave the cove, etc) and let him explore and have fun.  He would load fishing poles in it and go fish in it. Mind you it was 100 or 200 yards from our dock in the same cove but he LOVED that freedom it gave him.  He could go anywhere in that cove to fish.  Even though it was the same fish he could catch off our dock, it wasn't anywhere near the same. 10 times as much fun to be in that boat fishing.

Then came the best part. HE GOT TO HAVE OTHER PEOPLE GO WITH HIM! I mean, he was the captain of the boat when others joined. I'd say I taught him what it means to be a captain of a boat and the responsibility but it wasn't hard - he loved it. There he was - 10 years old and the captain of his own boat going fishing with a buddy in the cove or just riding other kids (or me) around. Since then he bought, improved and sold several john boats, LOVED riding the jet ski, driving our boats and towing me and others on skis, wakeboards, tubes and surfing, and bringing others on adventures (rumor is some jet ski rides involved jumping off the various lake bridges - some of his buddies will have to add those stories.)

When your kid is adventuresome, what's a dad to do but feed that adventure? I loved feeding that sense of adventure Nate had - just as much as he liked doing it all!

I hope you are enjoying your new adventure Nate! I will join you on it someday and you can teach me a bunch of new things.Pic above showing one of the many times Nate was captaining his little boat!

(Part 2/2) On April 17th, we were able to honor and remember Nate through sharing of memories by our Deep Run Lacrosse teammates. Here are the complete tributes to Nate, as shared by his teammates and friends. 

A lot of us know Nate as the Deep Run Can Man, and I got to experience that role on a deeper level. Nate Baker set up my first kiss. Freshman year, Nate Baker was an older brother figure to me as my actual older brother went to another school. One football game, during halftime, Nate called me out of the stands and sat me next to my good friend Alexa. Nate began to start a “kiss” chant, and soon enough I had my first kiss. Thanks for always looking out for me Nate! - Brett Foy

Nate was a big part of our defense with being the goalie. The way he would command and communicate to us all where we needed to be was a gift, he did it with such execution where you wouldn’t question it. He was a natural born leader. He had the best jokes when the ball would be down on attack and keep it light hearted when we got frustrated. He was also a backbone for us and would motivate us all when we would be in on our heads with not playing the best, he could motivate us to play with leaving everything out on the field. I will always remember and cherish these times. There would be times where he would be frustrated but would not let it get to him once that play was over, I think that was a big part of why our defense was so good. Whatever happened, happened; move on and do better. An amazing player but an even better person. I remember our last game together before I had graduated and it may not have gone the way we wanted it to but he was so appreciative to have shared the field with us all. - Michael Albanese

I played my first varisty lacrosse year with Nate as our goalie. It soon became very evident to me that Nate was a joyful, funny, and loving kid. He would always bring our team up when we were down and filled the room with light. There was never a dull moment when Nate was around. - Daniel Jarvis

Nate was a positive presence in every room he entered. He had a unique gift of bringing light hearted humor to any situation, while also remaining competitive and pushing his peers to be their best. I feel fortunate to have coached his final game of his senior season, and know how much he will be missed by his teammates and this community. - Coach Landon Nott

I had the privilege of playing with Nate since elementary school. When nobody else on our Code team wanted to step-up to play goalie, Nate did. He brought that fearless nature he had in every aspect of his life to playing goalie and being a leader. Senior year of high school we had a handful of “captains”, but it was always Nate who wasn’t afraid to give us some tough love or fire us up when nobody had it in them to bring that level of energy. Nate didn’t care if he had to be the bad guy if it meant we were putting our best foot forward when stepping onto that field. I am so grateful to have gotten to grow as a player and person alongside Nate. - Joe Ressler

I was driving to a lacrosse tournament with Nate and he pulled out a harmonica out of nowhere and played for everyone in the car, we were all surprised to see that Nate was actually really good. He always had a gift of learning new talents and making people laugh. Incredibly handy he could fix any lawn mower or small engine, and the best dancer I’ve ever met. Im forever grateful for all the memories we’ve been able to make together, Rest Easy. - Matthew Carter

TO the Baker Family, on behalf of the Deep Run Wildcat Lacrosse Community, we hope that these memories have filled your hearts with the joy that Nate has always brought to us. The World is a better place because we had Nate in it. The entire Deep Run community stands with you, holding you in our hearts during this difficult time. We are here for you always. Thank you

On April 17th, we were able to honor and remember Nate through sharing of memories by our Deep Run Lacrosse teammates.  Here are the complete tributes to Nate, as shared by his teammates and friends.  (Part 1)

Thank you for joining us at tonight’s Deep Run Lacrosse game. We’d like to take a moment to honor Nate Baker, a 2022 Deep Run graduate and lacrosse and volleyball player who tragically passed away on April 2nd. At this time, we’d like to invite the Baker family and Deep Run lacrosse alumni to join the team on the field.

To the Midlothian high school community, we know that you recently lost a student athlete, Wyatt Fowler, a member of the football and lacrosse teams. Our most sincere sympathies go out to Wyatt’s friends and family.

Our current and alumni lacrosse players have shared a few words about Nate’s impact as a player, teammate and friend:

Nate, I am privileged to have been able to not only know you but to also be able to call you my friend. You were one of the first people I had met when I moved to Richmond and you went out of your way to make me feel welcomed here because that’s the type of person you were. I will never forget the many lates nights we spent on my back porch talking about life and cracking jokes with each other. Thank you for making such a positive impact on mine and everyone’s life that knew you, we will miss you dearly Nate. Love you. -Matt McNally

One of my best memories of Nate was him telling me he was related to a famous country singer, so I told people every time one of his songs would play that my buddy was related too him. Then a year later, he told me he completely made it up and was not related too him at all. - Jack McNally

I always remember the positive energy and impact that Nate brought to everyone around him whether it was the locker room or outside of sports, always a great person to be around. - Jake Jarvis

Thank you for practicing with me when I first picked up lacrosse and preparing me for JV. You were always someone I looked up to. - Ethan Kim

Nate was a great teammate and always uplifting on the field. He was friendly to everyone and very outgoing in and out of school. - Henry Wicker

Nate’s love and leadership for lacrosse radiated all around him. He was kind to everyone on his team no matter what their ability was. Kids just gravitated to him. I know he made all the boys feel included and welcomed on the team including my son. Thank you Nate for being such a good person. More people need to be like you. You will forever be missed. - The Schriners

Nate, I am privileged to have been able to not only know you but to also be able to call you my friend. You were one of the first people I had met when I moved to Richmond and you went out of your way to make me feel welcomed here because that’s the type of person you were. I will never forget the many lates nights we spent on my back porch talking about life and cracking jokes with each other. Thank you for making such a positive impact on mine and everyone’s life that knew you, we will miss you dearly Nate. Love you. -Matt McNally

Nate was, and always will be the funniest, kindest and happiest teammate and friend I will ever have. From playing baseball in the locker rooms before each home game. To sitting on the back of the bus going to and from away games, Nate always put a smile on my face no matter what mood I was in.

I thought of a lot of funny and memorable stories to write, but suddenly remembering that this will possibly be said on school grounds made me forget almost all of them. :)

To Nate,

I got the lucky opportunity to somehow always end up on the same lacrosse team as you no matter if it was code, venom, fusion, deep run JV and Varsity, Box or field lacrosse. From my 1st year ever playing lacrosse in the 5th grade to our last tournament on whatever travel team we played on Senior Year. You were my goalie. But you weren’t just my goalie for literally every single game of my whole lacrosse career, you were my 1 friend I could always count on to always be there for me. We grew together. Got better and worse together. And had so much fun together. I will never forgot how much fun I had with you by my side. Thank you so much, I love you so much.

-Sebastian Brodziak

Nate always brought a needed ray of light and laughter to practice and the locker room! He was a great competitor and teammate. - Nick Krug

Although I could be wrong I believe it was our senior year picture day. We were all lined up on the field getting our hair looking nice and fixing ourselves up to look good and professional. Nate was in front of me in line and goes “guys watch this”. He proceeds to quietly ask the photographer a question (probably making sure he was allowed to do this) and gets to the picture area. In typical Nate fashion he proceeded to put his stick between his legs like a witch riding a broomstick and threw up a peace sign accompanied by a hilarious, completely unserious smile. Everyone in line was absolutely losing it cracking up. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the entire team laughing so hard. I was next in line and of course didn’t even think about attempting to top that. Nate was the absolute heart and soul of our team. The stomach cramping laughs he gave us in the locker room, at practice, and sometimes even in the middle of a game will never be forgotten. I couldn’t have asked for a better goalie to defend, a better teammate to hype me up, and a better person to call my best friend. I love you forever 5 - Logan Miller

Nate was the most caring, kind hearted, and nicest people I got the chance to be around. Both on and off the lacrosse field Nate was always the happiest and most upbeat and outgoing guy in the room. The effect he had on me, and so many people that got the chance to meet him will be remembered. I love you Nate, you and your family will always be in my prayers. - Blake Wyman