Colorful photos of a colorful child: Remembering Fletcher Merkel
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The photos of Fletcher Alexander Merkel are like those of other children’s.
There he is with his parents in church, wearing a suit, blue sneakers and a smile. There he is in the snow, wearing a teal parka and clutching a snowball. There he is learning about birds, a trio of parakeets perched on his right arm and another one on his shoulder.
The photos of Fletcher, who died in the mass shooting last month at Annunciation Catholic Church and School in Minneapolis, were shared with reporters ahead of his funeral on Sunday afternoon at Mount Olivet Lutheran Church.
Fletcher was 8.
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Ahead of the service, Fletcher’s family asked attendees not to wear black. Instead, they encouraged mourners to wear bright colors. His father, Jesse Merkel, has said the family wants Fletcher to be remembered for who he was and not how he died.
Fletcher loved cooking. One of the photos shows him in gray pajamas with brown bison printed on them holding bison-inspired cupcakes, complete with marshmallow eyes and horns, and lots of chocolate.
Fletcher loved fishing. Another photo shows him clutching a really big fish as his father smiles at the camera. At his funeral, an aunt remembered how Fletcher taught his grandmother how to look for worms. “The key is to not be afraid of them,” he told her.
Fletcher loved sports. Those blue sneakers in the photo at church hint at a love of running, jumping and competing. He played soccer, football, basketball and sports he invented. When the Minnesota Gophers football team upset USC last year in Minneapolis, Fletcher ran on the field to celebrate with local college students.
“He was all gas pedal, no brakes,” said David Lose, senior pastor at Mount Olivet Lutheran Church.
It seemed that way from the beginning. He was born just minutes after his parents arrived at the hospital. He sped around the hallways at Annunciation. As a toddler, he figured out how to use the elevator at the library on his own.
He even grew fast.
His soccer coach, Will Sharpe, described Fletcher as a foot taller than other boys with a shoe size bigger than most adults and a “wonderful mop” of hair.
Several dignitaries attended Fletcher’s funeral: the governor, U.S. senators. So did uniformed Minneapolis police officers and members of the Annunciation community, all wearing the distinctive blue T-shirts of the school.
After the service, mourners gathered at an ice cream truck outside Mount Olivet.
People will also gather on Sunday, Sept. 14 to remember the life of Harper Moyski, 10, who also died from gunshot wounds suffered inside the church. The celebration of life for Harper will be at Lake Harriet Bandshell in Minneapolis, according to an obituary.
Meanwhile, 12-year-old Sophia Forchas remains hospitalized at HCMC in critical condition with a bullet lodged in her head. At a press conference on Friday updating the public on Sophia’s condition, Tom Forchas, her father, relayed the words his 9-year-old son spoke when told about Fletcher’s death.
“He is so good at everything he does. And he is such a good friend to all of us.”
