in memory | Coupeville Sports

Posts Tagged ‘in memory’

Farm Dog, forever loved!!

Posted in In memory, tagged CHS Wolves, Happy birthday, in memory, Softball, Stacie Farmer on September 15, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Stacie Farmer (left) hangs out with Wolf softball teammates Andrea Larson (middle) and Laura Crandall. (Photos courtesy the Farmer family)

Farm Dog being Farm Dog.

Today is a terrible day and a beautiful day, entwined together.

It is both the day Stacie Farmer entered the world and the day her body could no longer keep her here.

A life spirit like no other, a young woman who generated nothing but good will wherever she went, from her days at Coupeville High School and far beyond, Farm Dog will always be with us.

She was born Sept. 15, 1986, Brian and Cathi Farmer’s third child, joining David and Lisa.

Stacie passed from the physical world six years ago, on her birthday, unable to recover from injuries suffered when she was hit by a car while on a bicycle.

In the 24 years between those two birthdays, she was a genuine rarity, a young woman who crossed all lines and boundaries and found friends in every nook and cranny.

Whether she was patrolling the softball field for the Wolves, hanging out with her pack at Miriam’s Espresso and Videoville, or carving out new paths in far-flung locales after graduation, there was always an adventure to be embraced.

As the years pass, it is vitally important we all, here in Coupeville and in the many other communities she spent time in, never forget her soaring spirit.

The way she welcomed life in every day.

In simple gestures and big moments alike, she left a little bit of Farm Dog in the soul of everyone she met along her journey.

In her latter years, she was fond of the saying “bhavuta sabba mangalam,” which translates to “may all beings be happy.”

Whether you knew her intimately or were never blessed with a chance to meet her, open your heart and listen to Stacie’s words.

Embrace them, act on them.

That way Farm Dog lives forever, a part of all of us.

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“He was tough as nails!!”

Posted in Hall o' Fame, tagged CHS Wolves, football, Hall of Fame, in memory, Mike Smart on August 21, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Mike Smart (Photo courtesy Dustin Van Velkinburgh)

The stats were impressive. But that’s not why he’s remembered.

Mike Smart racked up defensive numbers for Coupeville High School which let him stand shoulder-to-shoulder with virtually anyone who has ever strapped on the pads as a Wolf.

But it’s his presence in the huddle, on the bus, in the locker room, which remains with his former teammates 15 years after he played his final down at CHS.

The son of a coach, Gary Smart, Sr., and younger brother to Gary Smart, Jr., a very successful Wolf quarterback in his own right, Mikey is the lone member of the 61st class to be inducted into the Coupeville Sports Hall of Fame.

After this, you’ll find him at the top of the blog, under the Legends tab.

The induction is posthumous, as Smart passed away at just 21, after a fatal car crash on Fort Casey Road in 2005.

He left behind a son, though, who, under the tender care of mom Kimberly (Bagarelli) Robinett, grows to look more like his dad with each day.

And he left behind a lifetime of memories for those who lined-up next to him on Friday nights at Mickey Clark Field.

Smart was a two-way warrior for the Wolf gridiron squad, a fullback and a linebacker, where he made his biggest impact.

During his senior season in 2001, he combined with Joe Kelley, a fellow Hall of Famer, to provide one of the most brutally-efficient defensive duos Coupeville has ever had.

Smart collected 119 tackles that season (Kelley had a school-record 142), earning team MVP honors and receiving All-League recognition.

He had the ability to turn games by sheer force of will, which is evidenced by a game at Concrete at mid-season.

Sparking a 31-17 Wolf win, Smart collected 12 tackles, a sack, two tackles for loss of yardage, forced a fumble and recovered another.

He topped out that season with 19 tackles against Archbishop Thomas Murphy, while chasing down Jevon Butler, the two-time 1A state player of the year.

But, as great as his stats were, it’s not the tackles or the fumble recoveries for which he is most remembered.

Dustin Van Velkinburgh, who graduated with Smart in 2002 after playing football and basketball along side him, is now a Wolf coach.

When he looks back and reflects on his friend, this is how he remembers him:

Mike always put a smile on your face. I absolutely loved that kid!

I remember him blocking for Ian Barron his junior year, getting run over again and again and never complaining.

He was tough as nails.

But he was also the kid who made you laugh all the time. There was never a dull moment.

He would do the Mikey Shuffle.

He had a white t-shirt that had been cut-up, had that shirt since he was a freshman.

It was yellow, dirty, he never washed it all four years.

He’d wear that, put his cleats and helmet on, nothing else, and tap-dance in the shower for us.

In the huddle Noah (Roehl) would get upset with us. “We gotta score now!!”

And then Mikey would tell him to shut up and make him laugh.

When basketball came around, we all showed up with our brand new Nike’s. We had the freshest gear.

Mikey walks in wearing an old pair of Chuck Taylor’s, didn’t care what anyone thought.

We used to eat Coach Smart, Mike’s dad, out of house and home … literally.

He’d come home and be, “What the hell?!?!”

Those memories are priceless. You can’t get those back.

I miss Mikey.

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Goodnight, Farm Dog, never goodbye

Posted in In memory, Softball, tagged CHS Wolves, Farm Dog, Hall of Fame, in memory, Stacie Farmer on September 15, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Stacie Farmer, during her days as a softball slugger. (Photos courtesy Farmer family)

Farm Dog, on top of the world.

Stacie Farmer turns 29 today.

And yes, I am aware that, in one sense, she has been gone for five years. In another sense, however, she never left us.

A tragic accident damaged her body, but Farm Dog held on long enough for her family to reach her side before she departed the physical earth 24 years to the day she first entered it.

Sept. 15, 1986 – Sept. 15, 2010.

Not long enough at all, and yet she did so much, accomplished so much, brought so much joy to those she loved, or those she met just for a moment, that she filled every one of her days to bursting.

In the five years since her passing, Stacie’s life has lived on, through her words and those of all who knew her.

Her Facebook page, left open by her family, has become a place for people to remember the young woman who bounced through life, dreadlocks swinging, transcendent smile touching every part of the horizon.

From her days as a softball slugger at Coupeville High School to the moments when she and her friends hung out at Miriam’s Espresso and Videoville — where I most frequently came into contact with her — to her times exploring the world, her open heart reaching out to touch all she encountered, Stacie was like no other.

She wasn’t perfect. No one is. But she made a solid run at it.

Stacie strode through life, unafraid, always up to a challenge, always looking for the good in others.

In the mountains, on the river, wherever she was found, Farm Dog was the one who reached out to others, brought others into her world.

She was only here for 24 years, but she spent her time well.

Each of us who had a chance to know Stacie have kept her memory alive in some way, through stories, through tears, through memories.

With Coupeville Sports, I have a small, but unique, way to make sure her name, her memory, her spirit, never fades.

Here on this blog we have a Hall o’ Fame (it’s at the top of the blog under the Legends tab), dedicated to the best that Coupeville has produced. Normally the induction ceremonies, twelve so far, happen each Sunday.

Today, on a day that has so much significance, I want to induct Stacie alone, for she was always in a class by herself.

For her days on the diamond, yes, but more, for her life and the way she chose to live it.

It is not much, admittedly, but it is at least a small way in which I can make sure she is always with us, is always remembered.

When someone goes through the list of honorees and asks “Who was Stacie Farmer? Why is she in your Hall?” it will keep the conversation alive. It will give us another chance to make sure her flame never flickers.

As it should be.

On this day, and every day, we say “Goodnight, Stacie.” Never “Goodbye Stacie.”

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“You will be missed, brother”

Posted in In memory, Track, tagged CHS Wolves, in memory, Keaton Farris, Track on April 9, 2015| 2 Comments »

Keaton Farris

Keaton during his days as a CHS football player.

Keaton as a baby. (Photo courtesy Julie Williams)

I didn’t know Keaton Farris.

He ran track during his sophomore and junior seasons at Coupeville High School, twice winning events (http://www.athletic.net/TrackAndField/Athlete.aspx?AID=48438), but that time period (2006-2007) was a time when I was buried in working at David’s DVD Den and didn’t cover sports for a bit.

But I know 25 is too early for anyone to die (http://www.whidbeynewstimes.com/news/299131961.html), and I know he leaves behind family, friends and classmates who remember him fondly.

The newspapers will report on the troubling circumstances of his death, because that’s what they do.

Coupeville Sports is a different beast, and what I am concerned with at the moment is giving all who knew Keaton a chance to remember their fallen friend.

Once a Wolf, always a Wolf. Never forgotten, no matter where life takes you.

This article is here to allow any who want to remember Farris to do so, with the promise that your words will be yours and I will not edit them to fit a storyline.

If you would like say something, send your thoughts to me here, at my Facebook page or at davidsvien@hotmail.com. Photos are also welcome.

I will continue to add anything I receive, and this will remain here on Coupeville Sports as long as the blog exists.

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Emma Puharic:

Aww, Keaton, I’m sorry, rest in peace.
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Chris Masters:

Thinking back, our circles did cross at a few places. I never got to know Keaton very well, but to the best of my knowledge, he had been a very respectable guy.

Another life too young lost, another light in our hearts fades away. From someone who didn’t even know you, you will be missed brother. Til next time.
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Ryan King:

It’s a sad day to hear about a loss of someone you once knew.

I played football with Keaton my last two years and he was a great guy. Very respectful and always knew how to have fun. Great athlete and a great friend, he will be missed.

Rest in peace Keaton Farris.
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Dustin Van Velkinburgh:

Had the pleasure of coaching Keaton. Always worked hard and smiled while doing it.
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Ken Stange:

I learned today that yet another former student’s life ended too soon.

Keaton Farris, I remember you from Junior English. Oh, how you hated my class!

You were also fun, personable, and energetic.

I also remember your passion for sports. You were a very fast runner in a class that had many speedsters.

Your smile lit up my room, which was extra impressive when considering that that room was much like a dungeon.

When you left for Lopez, that was the last we’d see of you.

Like so many from here, your life carried you away from Whidbey. It had been years and you’d slipped from my memory, but today your memory occupies my thoughts.

May your afterlife journey be peaceful. I hope that Dylan and Adam were there to greet you. Like you, they too possessed a way of making people smile and laugh.

Peace, Keaton.

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Clay Hughes:

It’s really makes me sad to hear about the passing of Keaton. The funny thing is I’ve been thinking about him all day and I can’t get a smile off my face! He had a gift for making people happy.

Keaton was fast!!

One time in a regional track meet at Kings High School Keaton and I were running in the 200m together. Keaton was staggered behind me at the start of the race and we both knew he was going to pass me by the end of the corner.

We had run together a lot…

When the race started and he went past me he was singing a song! He had me laughing in the middle of a race! Haha.

I will always remember the state track tournament with Keaton and even more so getting through the daily practices with him. He was largely the only reason I would crack a smile during track practice. The stories could go on and on.

The two times we ran into each other since high school, the last being New Years Eve night 2011 in Seattle, we were instantly great friends again the second we saw each other, even if years had gone by since we last spoke.

That was the gift of Keaton, he was everybody’s friend and someone everyone wanted to be around.

I knew I was going to run into you again Keaton and I was looking forward to it. It makes me deeply sad that that can’t happen anymore. Everyone would be better off taking a page or two out of your book. You won’t be forgotten brotha.

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Julie Williams:

Oh Keaton I am so sorry you are gone, I knew you as a baby and I watched you grow over the years, then I lost touch somewhere along the way but I always heard of how you were growing up into such a handsome, kind, loving young man.

I ran into you and your momma here and there and I saw pictures along the way of you becoming YOU, I was always so surprised at the resemblances I saw

At times I thought you were such a mini Freddy, other times you looked just like Louie, then those eyes of yours…stunning eyes, just like your mommas, the warmth and the sparkle that exploded into ones soul that makes you do nothing but smile, sometimes I looked at you and all I saw was your uncle Chad…those cheeks & so handsome funny, loving, your movement, your kindness, your words reminded me of your Uncle Crockett, and every time I saw one of these glorious people in you it brought back floods of memories of the good ol’ days I had with them and how awesome that I can call you and your family my dear friends.

We stayed at your Mom’s house a few years back and you so kindly gave us your room, you would come around here and there and I felt like I had been in the picture for years, you were so warm and welcoming, like I was part of your life.

My husband and you hit it off, he said you were a pretty awesome kid and he enjoyed the time he spent with you. I do hope I can find those pictures of you and him at the Galley along with many others with everybody smiling.

My heart is Heavy since the day I heard, I can’t even imagine how your mom, dad ….your family are feeling but I am praying and keeping all of them close in my heart and you too. All my love, Julie

You are free from this world Keaton watch over your family and friends.

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