Greece N.Y. (WHAM) — A community is remembering an 11-year-old boy from Greece who died in a go-kart crash last weekend in Genesee County.
Loved ones described Parker Mitchell as talented, humble, and a huge Buffalo Bills fan.
13WHAM spoke with Jason Klotz, whom Parker knew as “Uncle J,” at the Greece Little League fields — a place where Parker spent much of his time.
“He was definitely a larger-than-life little boy with lots of dreams and an entire lifetime ahead of him,” Klotz said.
Just a few weeks ago, Klotz watched Parker hit a home run during travel baseball tryouts in Greece.
“He not only smacked it, he crushed that thing,” Klotz recalled. “He crushed it so far that it actually landed in the house behind the field’s backyard.”
Parker Mitchell is pictured in an undated photo. (Provided photo)
Parker loved baseball and was a proud member of Bills Mafia.
He died after a go-kart overturned into a pond on Fargo Road in the town of Darien on Sunday. The Genesee County Sheriff’s Office said Parker was taken by Mercy Flight to Strong Memorial Hospital, where he later died. His 8-year-old sister, who was also on the go-kart, was evaluated and released.
MORE: 11-year-old dies after go-kart overturns into pond in Genesee County
For those who knew him, Klotz said Parker’s life — not the circumstances of his death — is what they want people to remember.
“The thing that I want to remember about Parker isn’t the tragedy that cut his life short,” Klotz said. “I would want to remember him as the fun, loving, goofy, humble kid that he was. He wore his heart on his sleeve. He gave back to his community.”
Now, that community is giving back to Parker’s family.
A GoFundMe created to support the family has raised more than $60,000.
“As you can imagine, nobody plans for an event like this,” Klotz said. “And financially, that is just simply one of those burdens that we want to lift off of the family in any way that we possibly can.”
The president of Greece Little League told 13WHAM that Parker’s presence will continue to be felt at the fields — in the batter’s box and on the pitcher’s mound.
A patch created in his memory carries a simple message: “Always with us.”
A patch was made in memory of Parker Mitchell. (Provided Photo)
“The greatest impact that Parker made on anybody that he came in contact with was the fact that he was that sweet, innocent, gentle kid,” Klotz said. “We should aspire to try to be more like Parker.”
Click here for the GoFundMe set up for Parker’s family.
