Everett boy who died after sandbox accident ‘loved life’

EVERETT — With bright red hair and freckles, Codey Porter liked to be called “Code Red.”

The 10-year-old Everett boy was remembered Tuesday for his passion for church, his video game prowess and his love of family.

The fifth-grader stopped breathing Saturday after being buried headfirst while playing in a backyard sandbox. He died Monday afternoon at Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle.

“Codey was deeply loved and the family expressed and shared their love for him,” said the Rev. Dan Kellogg of Gold Creek Community Church near Mill Creek. They “had their chance to say goodbye in the most appropriate ways.”

Codey’s family said in a statement they decided to honor the boy’s memory by donating his organs and creating a miracle for another family.

“Codey always wanted to be a superhero, and you can’t be more of a superhero than saving a bunch of lives,” Kellogg said. “It was a way to bring meaning to a very terrible tragic accident and it allowed Codey to be a superhero.”

On Monday, while he still clung to life, the boy’s hospital bed was covered with stuffed animals and messages from family and friends, said Patty Gauksheim, principal at Silver Firs Elementary in Everett where Codey went to school.

“The demonstration of love and support this community has shown the family means a great deal to them,” Gauksheim said in a letter sent home to students Tuesday. “It means much to our school family too as we have all been hoping for Codey’s well-being and now are grieving his loss.”

Extra counselors were at the school this week to help Codey’s classmates, officials said.

Codey was playing with friends Saturday in a neighbor’s back yard when the boy was buried in the sand, Snohomish County sheriff’s spokeswoman Rebecca Hover said.

A relative of the boy said he and the others had been playing a game based on the Japanese anime cartoon “Naruto.” In the cartoon, some of the ninja characters hide from bad guys by burying themselves in the sand.

When Codey’s friends realized something was wrong, they pulled him out and called for help, Hover said. Adults started CPR until aid crews arrived and took Codey to the hospital.

Sheriff’s detectives determined what happened was a tragic accident, Hover said.

“They were playing a game covering each other in sand,” Kellogg said. “When you look at it, you’d say there’s no way someone could die in this sandbox.”

Codey was involved in church youth group activities and often spent afternoons doing his homework or playing video games at the church, Kellogg said.

He excelled at Mario Kart, a popular video game, and recently was given a Bible as a reward for his journal writing, Kellogg said.

“He was a normal fifth-grade kid who loved life,” the pastor said.

In school, Codey was imaginative, outgoing and curious. He gave high-fives to his teachers and asked lots of questions.

His fourth and fifth grade teacher, Kathy Hanlon, said she’ll never forget the time Codey burst into class in the middle of a lesson on polygon attributes wearing a huge white chef’s hat and an apron. He had appeared on a local TV show earlier in the day and greeted his classmates by shouting, “Hey, I’m baaack!”

“Codey was one of those special students that I will always remember,” she said. “And to have known him for two years was a blessing. He was a very giving and forgiving boy, and he enriched my life 10 times over. I will truly miss his smiling face and his innocent ways.”

Codey’s third-grade teacher, Carol Sanders, said she’ll always remember Codey’s smile, his sense of humor and the way he would entertain her with stories.

“Even at the end of third grade when kids start to grow up, he would grab my hand in line and walk next to me,” she said. “I will miss Codey greatly and never forget his sunny disposition.”

Funeral arrangements were still being organized Tuesday, Kellogg said.

On Monday, Codey’s family decided to donate the boy’s organs.

“Codey became a superhero in his dying moments. He saved the lives of many by giving the ultimate gift through organ donation,” said Megan Erwin, executive director of Living Legacy Foundation, the organization that facilitates organ donation.

The organs, eyes and tissue from a single donor can help about 50 people, she said.

Nearly 100,000 people nationwide are waiting for an organ transplant, including 1,500 people in the Northwest, Erwin said. Each day, 18 people die nationwide waiting for a organ transplant.

“Nothing can change what happened to Codey, but organ donation was an opportunity to have meaning come out of a tragedy,” Erwin said. “To give life to children who are waiting for a life-saving transplant is the ultimate gift one human being can give to another.”