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Mike DeGroote: Father-son adventure becomes a tragedy

Posted 7/7/15

A large segment of the community remains in shock and mourning as news quickly spread this past week that 22-year-old Michael DeGroote had tragically died.

With three active boys, the DeGroote …

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Mike DeGroote: Father-son adventure becomes a tragedy

Posted

A large segment of the community remains in shock and mourning as news quickly spread this past week that 22-year-old Michael DeGroote had tragically died.

With three active boys, the DeGroote family has been deeply entrenched in local youth and high school athletics for years along with church and many other community activities.

A second annual father-son summer vacation to Alaska was supposed to be filled with happy memories and bonding adventures, but something went terribly awry on Tuesday, June 30, at Denali National Park and Preserve as Mike and his father, Dave, were preparing to depart their campsite.

“He was so well rounded and such a good human being,” his mom Mari told The Times. “I’m still hearing stories from people I don’t know about the wonderful things he did.”

The two DeGrootes were packing up their campsite, and Dave left to get their rental car and move it into a loading zone closer to their tent.

He was gone about 20 minutes.

Upon returning he found his son had been fatally shot inside their tent in what police authorities have determined to be an accidental shooting.

“This was not a suicide,” Mari said. “They did a full investigation and determined it was a tragic accident….

“Mike had rolled up the sleeping bags. Put the chairs away. Things were put on the picnic table.

“We don’t know if he tripped or what going into the tent.”

Mari said the investigation also discovered that the gun had a manufacturer’s recall on it, as other accidents have occurred because of a faulty safety mechanism.

Through tears, Mari explained they had no idea about such a recall and certainly wouldn’t have been using the gun if they had known.

The elder DeGrootes were on a fishing, hiking, whale watching and kayaking adventure – not a grizzly bear hunt.

But they took along a weapon for safety purposes, as the Alaskan wilderness and even developed areas can be prone to aggressive grizzlies and moose.

“They even sat through a safety class put on by the parks people,” Mari said. “They were warned about a female moose that had been charging people.

“This was not intentional by any means.”

Star athlete

Growing up in Fountain Hills, Mike was involved in Little League baseball, Pop Warner youth football, Boys & Girls Club basketball, Boy Scouts and the youth group at Christ’s Church of Fountain Hills.

He graduated from Fountain Hills High School where Mike was an all-state athlete in both baseball and football.

He tied the FHHS football record in 2010 with 36 receptions for 555 yards.

He graduated here in 2011, attending Scottsdale Community College and playing football there for two years.

He transferred to Northern Arizona University in 2013. He was the Lumberjacks’ backup fullback and played on special teams.

He was soon getting ready to go back to Flagstaff for training camp and preparing for the 2015 season as a senior.

He earned a full scholarship as a walk-on at NAU because of his hard work and dedication as an athlete, his mom said.

He was looking forward to earning his degree in finance.

Flying was a true passion for Mike, and he was one flight away from receiving his private pilot’s license. His life-long goal was to become a commercial airline pilot.

During the football off-season, Mike worked at Walgreen’s as a pharmacy technician and also at Northland Beverage Company in Flagstaff. He was also the owner of Snap Fitness in Fountain Hills.

Aside from athletics, Mike loved to play guitar, scuba dive, hike, camp, fish, snowboard and hang out with his many friends.

“The entire NAU athletics family is deeply saddened by the loss of Michael,” said head football coach Jerome Souers in a statement released by Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff.

“He was a well-respected young man that I was proud to have as a part of our program. Our time with Michael was cut short, but he will always be a Lumberjack. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.”

Outpouring of support

The DeGroote Facebook pages have been flooded with condolences and well-wishes from many friends, family members and others who knew the family.

“People have been stopping by all week and I’ve been hearing things from people I don’t know about how Mike stood up for handicapped kids, did all these wonderful things,” Mari said.

“He couldn’t say a bad thing about anyone. He was a perfect, perfect son. He always did what you told him. He was so cautious and responsible.

“He was such a good role model to his brothers.

“This is such a tragedy. He just loved life. He was so looking forward to graduating, getting his pilot’s license and living life.”

A memorial service is being held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Christ’s Church. An obituary is published this week on Page A4.

One friend, Samantha Fortner, wrote this on Facebook about Michael DeGroote:

“I was hesitant to post anything about this, but I couldn’t go without publicly recognizing such a special person.

“Mike, you were taken away from this world way too early. Even though it’s beyond understanding what happened and completely heart breaking, God always has a plan. You are seeing and experiencing things right now that our minds can’t even comprehend this side of Heaven.

“I wanted to thank you for being an extraordinary person in this world. Countless people loved you and looked up to you, who still do and always will.

“I knew from the first time I met you freshman year the first day of high school in physics class that you were an extremely special human being. I am beyond thankful for the memories we shared together and the person you were in my life plus the lives of so many. This isn’t goodbye, it’s just see you later.”