• Tweet
• Share
• Email
• Print

GRAFTON - It's still shocking to imagine. Fourteen-year-old Cody Reetz, murdered by his own stepfather.

But out of evil comes good and a small town comes together. Members of the Grafton community are joining forces to support the memory of Cody Reetz.

Brandon Belling remembers that Cody was always smiling. Belling notes, "He was happy all the time. He wanted to get up and do things instead of being real lazy"

Tim Senkbeil is helping to organize a fundraising effort to build a skatepark in Cody's honor. He says people are supportive. Senkbeil says, "Everyone that hears about it wants to help out. They ask what we can to do help out."

Cody loved to skateboard, and that's why a park is so fitting. Students Danny DiCrisio and Nick Butt came up with the skatepark idea. Butt remembers, "Cody really loved skating, and he really loved snowboarding. He always had a smile on his face and he never got down."

The park will be built at Lime Kiln Park in Grafton.

Danny DiCriscio who got a Mohawk in honor of Cody notes, "Cody was a real intelligent kid. He would always have a smile on his face and he would encourage people to be like him. That's why we got this idea to do the skateboard park."

Talking to Cody's friends, it's clear, his magnetism was memorable, and his love of fun, unforgettable. Classmate Jacob Gustavson recalls, "In social studies we would always throw paper ball at each other."

Another classmate Brandon Lopez says, "Cody had a good time. In math class he'd make it so much better. He'd turn around and do goofy things like throw paper airplanes."

The group plans several fundraising efforts for the park. Chocolate lollipops are being sold for $1 apiece. The group is also selling T-shirts with Cody's face for $15. All of the money will go straight to the skatepark.

Cody's mom Trista Ziehr gets emotional thinking about all the support she has gotten from the community. She is amazed how many lives her son touched.

She describes her son choking back tears. "He had a big heart he cared for everybody he talked to everybody. He'd help people he didn't even know, he loved everyone." And that's why friends will never forget the young man with sweet eyes, a striking smile, and a bright outlook.

The Cody Reetz Memorial Skatepark will bring kids the same joy Cody did in his short but memorable life.