OLATHE, Kan. — The family of Caleb Schwab, 10, killed Sunday, Aug. 7, while riding the Verrückt water slide at Schlitterbahn Waterpark, is being embraced emotionally and prayerfully by their church family and their baseball family, along with other groups the Schwab family let into their lives each week.
In this time of mourning and tragedy, many feel helpless about what they can do for a family suffering such tremendous trauma. A GoFundMe account was started on Sunday to help with Caleb’s funeral expenses and has already surpassed its goal.
Caleb was on the Kansas City Mudcats baseball team and they are standing by to help, as the team’s coaches also most certainly deal with the confusion and sadness felt by Caleb’s teammates.
Mudcats’ coach Kurt Dunn Jr., issued to following statement:
First and foremost, I would like to express our deepest condolences to the Schwab family. We are completely grief stricken with heartbreak.
Every child that participates in sports with our organization becomes a part of our “Mudcat family.” All of our players, current or former, have been touched by this tragedy regardless of if they personally know Caleb or not. As a team, we are taking this time to make sure that all of Caleb’s family, friends, and teammates are taken care of as they move forward to heal from this hardship. Caleb’s energy and amazing zest for life was inspiring and will be truly missed.
Caleb’s family, including his mom and dad, Michele and Scott Schwab, a Kansas representative, along with his brothers, attend Life Mission Church, , 16111 S. Lone Elm Rd. Friends of the family say Caleb is Michele and Scott’s second son; he has an older brother and two younger brothers, according to friends.
“I had the joy and privilege to interact with Caleb in HQ at Lifemission. He had a gentle nature and kind demeanor…maturity far beyond his years. He always stood out to me in our small group. I am praying for comfort, strength and peace for your family at this time. Caleb is held close in the arms of Jesus, where there are no more tears and no more pain,” wrote one person who donated to the GoFundMe account to help the family with the funeral expenses of Caleb’s sudden death.
The husband of a woman who lives Hays, Kan., says she and her sister, both adult women, were matched with Caleb to ride down the slide 168 foot 7 inch slide on the first drop, and 50 feet on the second. One woman suffered a broken jaw, and the other a broken bone in her face and had to have stitches in her eye. The husband of one of the women says they are also suffering emotionally. He says the women do not know exactly what happened because it happened so fast. One of them had her eyes closed. One described it as the worst day of her life.
Caleb was a student at a private school in Overland Park, Heritage Christian Academy.
FOX 4 will have more on Caleb Schwab and the memories of him, on FOX 4 newscasts and on fox4kc.com.