In Loving Memory of Finnegan Woodruff

Hi everyone, this is River Flynn and my family and I are making this go fund me for my cousin Finnegan Woodruff, in particular, his family. My cousin Finnegan, first and foremost, was the most kind, gentle, loving and caring 23 year old young man there ever was, thanks to his beautiful parents, my uncle Mike and Aunt Lulu (middle), that raised him, his two brothers and sister on a farm in Maine. Not long ago, Finn and his girlfriend Sienna (far left) built the camper trailer you see in the background, and moved to Washington. Finn was more passionate about kayaking white water rivers than just about anything. It is with so much pain that we are sharing that he passed away in a tragic accident this week while doing what he loved most. We are shattered and can't even imagine what his immediate family are feeling and going through at this time. If there is anything anyone can do to help my family it would so greatly appreciated you have no idea. Thank you to any and all who decide to lend a helping hand to a beautiful deserving family in a time of need.

Thank you from the Woodruffs:

Dearest friends and family, I have been composing a letter to each of you in my mind, to try and let you know how much you mean to all of us, and how your outpouring of love and generosity has helped us over the past 2 months. We have received hundreds of letters, delicious meals, candles, herbal medicines to help with grief and healing, flowers, plants, gift certificates, help with chores and dogs, kind messages each day, and so much more. Many of you drove or flew from far away to be with us at Finn’s ceremony in December, and while we didn’t get to see or talk with many of you, we all felt held in your love and support that day, and it gave us deep reserves of strength, that we are still drawing on to this day. In each of the letters we have received (I am still making my way through reading many of them) the sentiment is “I know there is nothing I can do or say to take the pain away.” I want you to know that although we are on a journey that some days feels unbearable because of the sadness and heart break, the love you have given us is helping us immensely. It is making a difference, it is helping us to bear what some days feels unbearable. We are all learning how to get up each day and move forward, to trust that our bodies and our hearts are strong and will guide us on this journey. One of the things I have told our children since they were very young is that we are here on the earth for a short time, that in many ways it doesn’t make much sense, (especially in the way that our modern societies function) and that the only thing that makes sense to me is that we are here to learn to love and to be kind. Finn understood this from the time he was very young. He was such a deeply loving and kind child, and remained that way as he grew into the beautiful young man he became. I still believe that with a deep inner knowing, and it is what I am trying to focus on now as I navigate this new reality without our beloved. We are here for a short time, and we are called to learn to love more deeply and to be kind. All of you have shown us that love and kindness can heal, that our connection to one another is sacred, it is this which makes us most human and whole. I wanted you each to know how grateful we are for your friendship, for all of the myriad ways you have reached out to us, and continue to each day. We will find our way to each of you eventually, but for now we want you to know how grateful we are and how much we love all of you. With deep gratitude, Lucretia, Michael, Seamus, Maeve and Daire