MONROE – They walked by red maple trees in a parking lot of the Evergreen State Fairgrounds on Monday afternoon.
Older couples holding hands, teens in jeans and T-shirts, farmers in nice jackets and pants, and parents holding their babies in their arms.
All headed to the fairground’s arena. Above them, white clouds floated in the blue sky.
Cars continued to arrive. Soon, more than 1,000 people filled the western side of the arena, where colorful flowers decorated the makeshift stage and a shiny red truck was parked. The truck belonged to Dan Frohning, 19.
They set aside work, classes and chores, and gathered to mourn, celebrate and remember the life of the young man who died in a hunting accident on Oct. 14.
The crowd overwhelmed the Frohning family.
“Well, uh, holy cow!” Frohning’s father, Tim Frohning, said to the crowd. “That’s amazing, all those people.”
His son was the fifth generation of dairy farmers in the Tualco Valley south of Monroe.
“Danny was an awesome kid, as you all knew him. We miss him deeply,” Tim Frohning, 50, said.
At these fairgrounds, Dan Frohning shined. He tended and displayed animals well; he mentored younger children and received many awards in state and national 4-H.
Frohning, who loved hunting and football, died while hunting with his friends in the Tualco Valley south of Monroe. He was accidentally shot; his friends reportedly tried to resuscitate him, but couldn’t save him.
Tim Frohning choked up and talked about the tragedy in front of the crowd.
“I don’t want anybody to ask about the accident,” Tim Frohning told the crowd.
Shortly after the death, Tim Frohning and his wife, Sandi, forgave the young man who accidentally shot their son and told the man they loved him, said Nate Hettinga, a pastor at the family’s church, Cascade Community Church in Monroe.
Everyone dies, but faith makes a difference in life, Hettinga said.
“The question is how we live and where our hope is and where we are going,” he said.
The crowd celebrated the life of Frohning. During the service, a band played “God of Wonders.”
Some in the crowd stood up.
Others followed.
More and more did so until almost everyone stood.
“You are holy, holy,” they sang in unison.
“Lord of heaven and earth.
“Lord of heaven and earth.”
Their voices echoed in the arena.
Frohning is survived by his parents, Tim and Sandi Frohning; his brothers, Matt, Timothy Lee, Doug Frohning; grandmothers, Joan Snow and Betty Frohning.
Donations may be made to the Daniel Frohning Memorial Fund (account No. 3142774145) at Washington Mutual Bank.
Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@heraldnet.com.
Mourners clasp their hands together at the bidding of Tim Frohning during his son’s memorial service.
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