LAKE STEVENS — He was everybody’s best friend, the boy with the sunny smile and an adventure always in mind.
Family and friends remember Bradley Hogue as a ball of energy with a wild sense of humor and an endearing sweet side. He was fearless, compassionate, energetic and “the happiest person the world.”
Tuesday evening, more than 60 people celebrated Bradley with just the kind of party he would have loved to crash: pizza and soda by the lake at Wyatt Park, friends laughing and hugging, sunshine and a fresh breeze over the water.
“He would have been right in the middle of everything, running circles around everyone,” said Deanna Hogue, Bradley’s mom.
Tuesday marked one year since the 19-year-old died. Family and friends called it his “Angelversary.”
Bradley was on his second day of a new landscaping job, working on a property in Duvall, when he fell into a rotating auger used to spread beauty bark. A state investigation completed in January found that employees routinely were asked to clear jams in heavy equipment while it was running. The company, Pacific Topsoils, was fined $199,000 for 16 safety violations. They’re appealing the state’s findings.
Bradley was one of 12 workers from Snohomish County who died on the job last year.
People shared hugs and swapped stories about him Tuesday. They crouched in front of posters decorated with photos. Some showed a beaming Bradley piled with friends on a couch or boat while others showed him making goofy faces, always trying to win a smile or laugh.
Friends think of him often. For many, it doesn’t feel like it’s been a year; it doesn’t feel like he’s gone.
Ashley Williams met Bradley in elementary school and graduated from Lake Stevens High School with him in 2013. She still can’t walk into Ace Hardware, where he worked before Pacific Topsoils. She recalled his quirky sense of humor and genuine kindness.
“We all miss him so much,” she said. “We wish he was still here, and we love him.”
Everyone who knew him considered him a friend, Williams said, and after high school he was the glue that held them together.
Bradley’s dad, Alan Hogue, is proud to think of the lives his son touched.
“I’m amazed by how many of the kids say he helped them get out of the house, got them to go places and do things together,” he said. “They’d be going their separate ways and he’d bring them together.”
Tristan Vassar, 19, and Micale Shipman, 20, liked camping with Bradley. He made every trip fun, they said.
“He brought out the best in all of us,” Vassar said.
Bradley would want people to celebrate his life, not mourn his death, Shipman said. He lived for the fun of it and taught them to do the same. They’re learning from his death, too.
“Keep your close ones close to you and don’t let your enemies get to you,” Vassar said. “Life can be short.”
They’ve also learned to think twice about dangerous jobs. Bradley’s story shows the importance of workplace safety, Deanna Hogue said. It’s OK for employees to ask questions, seek training and “if it doesn’t feel right, say no,” she said.
Family friend Shair Compton helped coordinate the Angelversary. Her son grew up with Bradley. It’s easy to see how a young adult could get caught in a bad situation at work, she said. Many don’t have the confidence to tell their boss “no” or they may not realize how risky a task is.
“When they get out of high school, they want to do so good,” she said. “They want to prove themselves.”
Bradley attended Everett Community College and planned to transfer to the University of Washington. He liked math and was interested in mechanical engineering. He was the youngest of three outdoorsy brothers and always was looking for his next adventure.
Jordan Lee has a tattoo on his chest, above his heart, with Bradley’s name and an image of two trucks in the woods. One is his, one is Bradley’s, Lee said.
“The trees are the place we used to go wheeling, and there’s the river we used to go to,” he said. “He was my first friend when I moved to Lake Stevens. He was my best friend.”
Deanna Hogue, affectionately called “Mama Hogue” by her sons’ friends, has been overwhelmed by the community’s kindness.
Last summer, people went to Bradley’s favorite places, took pictures and shared them online with memories and prayers. For Christmas, friends filled his stocking with cards and photographs. On Feb. 28, a group gathered in Mukilteo and sent glowing paper lanterns into the sky to mark what would have been his 20th birthday.
They chose a phrase that’s been printed on bumper stickers and stamped on bracelets: “Only the good die young.” The bracelets are green, Bradley’s favorite color, and have his name in script on one side. They were given out Tuesday.
After pizza and bracelets, the group gathered on the dock for a prayer, then decorated lanterns to send to the sky with messages of love.
Nothing can prepare a parent for the first year without their son, and Tuesday “was a big day for me,” Deanna Hogue said.
“The support from the community has been absolutely beautiful,” she said. “This has made my day.”
Kari Bray: 425-339-3439; kbray@heraldnet.com.
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