Hundreds mourn teen at lake
Published 9:00 pm Thursday, January 18, 2007
LYNNWOOD – The thin ice on Martha Lake was strong enough to reflect the light of hundreds of candles Thursday night.
The reflecting flames were a reminder of the boy failed by the same ice just days ago.
Hundreds of teenagers hugged and cried as they said goodbye to Seth James, 15, who drowned here Tuesday night.
Friends remembered a young man with a smile in his eyes, who was always happy to see everyone, and who loved cookies and macaroni and cheese.
“Seth was my life,” his mother, Lisa James, 35, of Mountlake Terrace, said in a flier handed out at the lake. “He brought light and laughter to this world, and this vigil tonight hopes to bring light back to the place where he last laughed.”
On Tuesday night, Seth was one of three boys who couldn’t resist the temptation to wander atop the frozen lake. In an instant, Seth fell through the ice. One boy made it to shore to try to get help and another boy, Keith Dunn, tried in vain to rescue his friend.
Neighbors on Martha Lake used a canoe to bring Keith to safety.
Seth was found by a Snohomish County sheriff’s rescue diver at about 11:21 p.m. after a two-hour search, sheriff’s spokeswoman Rebecca Hover said.
Search-and-rescue crews used hand-held heat-seeking equipment to look for the boy below the icy waters, she said.
Once he was pulled from the water, the boy was rushed to Providence Everett Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Seth was a sophomore at Mountlake Terrace High School, where he was enrolled in the Terrace Academy of Arts and Sciences.
“He was just a good kid,” the boy’s grandmother, Mary James, 59, of Brier said earlier Thursday. “He was always there if I needed help. And for his friends if they needed help.”
Seth’s mother is trying to get through the grief while caring for Seth’s 3-year-old sister, James said.
“She’s got a lot of support right now with the school and her family,” she said.
Family friend Janet Prichard of Everett said Seth’s family is appreciative of the love and support of the community.
Prichard said Seth’s mother had a message for Seth’s friends.
“Enjoy being a teenager. Enjoy the mischief but temper it with caution. The world is a dangerous place. But it’s also a place of richness and joy. So walk carefully through the night,” she said.
“Enjoy your life to the fullest, but if there’s that voice in the back of your head that says, ‘don’t do it,’ listen to that voice.”
Reporter Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437 or jholtz@ heraldnet.com.
Memorial fund
Donations in Seth James’ memory can be made to Cocoon House, c/o Seth James Memorial, 2929 Pine St., Everett, WA 98201.
A memorial service is scheduled for 3 p.m. Sunday in the Mountlake Terrace High School theater, 21801 44th Ave. W., Mountlake Terrace.
