MARYSVILLE — The Marysville community has rallied around the family of Juan Mendoza, the 16-year-old Marysville Getchell High School student who lost his life on Oct. 24 in a car accident.
The family and public viewing of Mendoza will take place on Thursday, Oct. 27 from 4-9 p.m. at the Schaefer-Shipman Funeral Home, located at 804 State Ave. in Marysville.
The mass, funeral service, burial and reception will follow on Friday, Oct. 28, at 2:30 p.m. in St. Mary’s Catholic Church, located at 4200 88th St. NE in Marysville.
A student-led memorial and celebration of Mendoza’s life for his friends and family, as well as Marysville School District staff and others who wish to attend, will commence on Tuesday, Nov. 8, at 6 p.m in the Marysville Getchell High School gymnasium.
“There are many needs for this family, and many students, staff and the community — including the Tulalip Tribes, Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring and his family, the Marysville Rotary, Olive Garden and Cristiano’s Pizza, to name a few — have stepped up to fill those needs,” Jodi Runyon, executive assistant to the superintendent of the Marysville School District, who also extended her thanks to Wendy Messarina, the ELL Spanish/multilingual parent community liaison for the Marysville School District, for working closely with Mendoza’s family attending to the details and needs.
Runyon and Messarina added that a memorial fund has been set up at HomeStreet Bank, and is accepting cash and checks for the time being.
“You can either stop by the bank, at 1238 State Ave., or mark an envelope for the ‘Juan Mendoza Memorial Fund’ and drop it in the night-drop,” said Messarina, who added that the account number is 536-922-1111.
Bill Brubaker, president of the Marysville Youth Soccer Club, expressed his sympathies not only for Mendoza’s family, but also for Lars Kundu and Andy Vavrousek, the other two Marysville Getchell High School who were injured in the same accident.
“It appears the two injured boys will recover, but Lars and Andy will have a tough road ahead and require a great deal of support,” Brubaker said. “Juan, the young boy that we lost, has been a pillar in the soccer community. He had played for our high school and was playing select soccer for Legacy. He would have been a strong leader on the soccer team for Getchell this coming spring. He was a certified referee and was well-respected by fellow officials, even though he had only been a referee a short time. In a moment, it was taken away from him and all of us that knew him.”
On Oct. 29 and 30, the Marysville Youth Soccer Club will be accepting monetary donations for Mendoza’s family, to help them with their expenses, at the soccer complex located at 4808 152nd St. NE.
“We will also be donating 100 percent of the concession stand sales for this weekend to the family,” Brubaker said. “Stop by for a hot chocolate or whatever you may need to cover those snacking needs and show your support.”
For more information, log onto www.marysvillesoccer.com.
