Support for Gene Ketchum's Memorial and Family

Hello, my name is Kevin Ketchum. I am the brother of 4 siblings; and the son of two wonderful parents. As some of you may or may not have heard, my father, Gene Ketchum passed away suddenly from a fatal fall that happened at his work place; Meijer in Mount Pleasant, MI in the early hours of Tuesday, July 22nd. I'm not naive, and I always knew there would be a day when I would have to mourn the loss of someone I loved; our society teaches us that as our parents get older, it is more likely we will mourn them before the loss of our siblings or children; but this loss was different. My dad & I had planned on working on his garage the day of his accident, hanging his cabinets in his newly purchased home while hopefully taking breaks to play with his new friend Bootsy, the stray cat that had taken refuge in his new garage. My father had no ailments, no struggles; he was always there when we needed him and could light up a room with his laughter and jokes. I feel like my entire world has been turned upside down, I can't remember how to live day to day life anymore. I've called his phone several times, just to listen to his voicemail, and I drive by his house hoping to see him sitting on the porch and give me a wave like he used to. I sat by his side, and held his hand until he took his last breath; I told him how much I loved him, in hopes he somehow knew I was there with him, so he didn't feel alone. The purpose of this post, this Go Fund Me page, is to not only spread the word of my father Gene Ketchum and his wonderful soul, but to help with his final particulars. My siblings & I are navigating through this with as much grace and as little tears as possible, but it's not enough. We would like to make sure his legacy lives on, to give him the proper ceremony & headstone he deserves. We would like to have grief counseling available for ourselves, along with anyone else who was touched by his light and is struggling with his loss. My dad was living and thriving, and now he's gone; his 60th birthday would have been this upcoming August 9th. Some of you may understand this feeling, but we do not; trying to go through his personal belongings and piece together his private life, so we can take care of his affairs is difficult, but we are doing the best we know how. If you're able to donate, we say thank you. If you are not in a position to do so, please just say a prayer for me, my family and his friends, and that would be the biggest donation of all. Thank you.

The Ketchum Family.