Ethan Squires Obituary
Ethan was born on July 6, 2002, the first child of Jeff and Whitney Squires. He became an initially reluctant big brother to sister Everly four years later (Mom, "Her name is Everly." Ethan, "No, I don't like that name."). In no time, he grew to not only love his little sister, but become her most trustworthy friend, champion, and confidant.
Ethan graduated from Raymond Elementary (Outstanding Band Student) and later Union Grove High School in 2020. He was a four-year letter winner and captain of the tennis team, first chair trombone, and active with Faithbridge Church's youth program. Ethan studied Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. He was active with the music department and InterVarsity Bible Study. Ethan worked at Kristine's Kafé as a Student Manager and as a Technology Specialist with Pioneer Restore. He also had his own electronic repair and tech support business (ETS Solutions LLC). A busy young man; check out his LinkedIn profile for more.
Ethan was a talented musician, playing piano (NFMC President's Cup winner), trombone, and guitar. Ethan was working as a Manufacturing Engineering Co-Op at Kohler Power Systems in Sheboygan, WI when he passed away. He loved everything about this job, including the people he worked with. This experience reinforced his desire to be a mechanical engineer; as a plus, he used his technology and programming skills to make Kohler better.
Ethan cherished Camp Anokijig in Plymouth, WI from the day he set foot on the property at age 5. He was both a camper and staff member, most recently serving as Assistant Program Director. Working with the campers and being with his camp friends brought him tremendous joy. He had a genuine talent for making others feel special, unique, and important. He had just moved into camp to help for the summer while he completed his co-op when he passed. While the pain we feel is beyond words, we take comfort in him passing at the place that he loved the most.
There are very few "Renaissance men" left; Ethan was one. Besides playing video games and streaming shows (he was 21 ), he spent time online learning about different things that interested him. He was great at a party; he could discuss classical music or classic rock with one person, turn to dissect the Star Wars Canon with another, explore the books of the Bible with a third, have a detailed discussion on military aircraft with another and break down how to build a car, house, or computer with yet another.
Ethan openly expressed his feelings for others, including his friends and his beloved kitties, Goose and Maverick. Without fail, he would begin and conclude our visits with a powerful embrace, telling us he loved us while looking straight into our eyes. Ethan loved spending time with us, from family meals (he insisted they always be at the table) to our extended family vacations. He helped create and protect our family traditions, including his favorite family-only/new pajama/comfort food/board game Christmas Day.
Ethan's desire to help others was part of his long-term plan. He intended to settle in the Sheboygan/Plymouth area so he could continue to serve at Camp Anokijig for life. He also had plans to find a local church where he could help build an impactful youth ministry.
Ethan was truly happy, the result of his focused and strategic determination to build the life he wanted. His life ended at the very moment he was about to fully realize his goals and ambitions.
Please join us for a memorial service that will make Ethan proud to honor his impactful life. As a fitting tribute to a Star Wars fan, we will hold his memorial service on May the Fourth.
If you can't attend (and we hope you can attend), the service will be streamed live. We will post the link to watch nearer the date of the service.
There will be a reception at the church afterwards. Please join us for a selection of some of Ethan's favorite foods.
Rather than flowers or gifts, please consider donating in Ethan's name to Camp Anokijig, Faithbridge Church, or the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation. If you prefer, please dedicate an hour of your time to improve someone's life in honor of Ethan.
SERVICE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND BELOW...
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Dyna Dumstorf
April 16, 2024
it was something small, but it was so unequivocally him. It was some ungodly hour in the morning and i was talking with some j staff inside the staff tent when he walked by. I didn't know it was him, but then he sneezed and without thinking I said "bless you ethan". The footsteps, stunned, stopped and in a dramatic voice he asked me through the tent tarp if I actually knew him by his sneeze. Then in a dramatic fashion, he walked over to the entrance of the tent just to display his goofy smile to me so I knew how absurd he found it that I knew how his sneeze sounded apparently from memory.
I've definitely had more meaningful, private interactions with him but this memory has been a brain worm for the past couple days.
There's no words to describe how much I'll miss his presence at camp. What I would give to experience anything between the simple Hi's in passing, the hugs he gave, or the occasional deep meaningful conversation.
Camille Fiddes
April 14, 2024
Ethan Squires was truly an amazing person. To know him was to love him. I had the pleasure of working alongside Ethan for 3 summers at Camp Anokijig. He was a true beacon of light and lit up every room he walked into. Ethan is the true embodiment of what it means to be a Gold Knight. He was kind, generous, and always the first person to offer help with any problem you may have had. Over the past few days, I've reflected on my time with Ethan, and I think my favourite memory of him was the first day I met him. It was my first year as a staff member (Ethan was already a vet at this point), and my little brother, Eric, was coming to camp that week. My favourite thing about working as a staff was being able to help give campers the experiences I had when I was there age, and I was even more excited to play that part for my little brother. 2 days into that week, I sat down with Eric, and he sobbed to me, saying that he was having trouble finding friends, felt out of place, and wanted to go home. This absolutely broke my heart. I left Western in tears, and the first person I ran into was Ethan. We didn't know each other; we weren't friends, but yet he was quick to sit down with me and listen as I gushed about how sad and guilty I felt. He reassured me that it was early in the week, skills had barely started, and nobody had quite found their footing yet. Our conversation lasted no more than 5 minutes, but I left the Western benches feeling calm and not so teary-eyed. I later came to find out that when I left, Ethan walked straight to Lake View to talk to Eric's sectional staff. I don't know what he did or said, but something changed. That week, I watched my brother fall in love with camp. He came back for 3 extra weeks that summer, and was lucky enough to have Squires in his section for 2 of them. Eric will return this summer for his first summer as J-Staff, and without Ethan, he would've missed out on one of life's greatest pleasures, Camp Anokijig. I'm sure any of you reading this probably have a similar memory of Ethan, as he had a kind heart and a pure soul. I cannot express the impact he had not only on my life but so many others around him. I hope you're lingering in the clouds up there, Ethan, and remember, its just goodnight and not goodbye.
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Grace Haug
April 11, 2024
About a month ago, I was working a weekend shift for Kristine´s Kafe. Ethan was back in town visiting his friends, and when he found out that I was working, he went out of his way and walked 20 minutes just to come say hi to me. We chatted for almost 30 minutes about how our semester was going and he told me all about his co-op he was working for. Right when he was leaving, he joked that we may not see each other again since I´m graduating, but he promised to text me every 6 months to see how I was doing. Although it was a lighthearted joke, looking back at that moment opens up dozens of memories of Ethan going above and beyond to be there for myself and our coworkers. He was truly one of a kind and I will miss him so much.
Joe Miller
April 11, 2024
Jeff and Whitney came to visit Kathy and I at our home in Oregon, Wi. We had prepared a dinner for the four of us and as we ate, Whitney was unable to eat one of the food items. As she and Jeff quietly smirked at each other, they informed us there was a fifth person among us. They were pregnant with Ethan!! It was a beautiful evening and we were all too happy to share in their joy. We stopped by their home after Ethan was born to see and hold him. He was a beautiful baby, and obviously grew to be an incredible gift of a human being.
Mallory Combs
April 10, 2024
I had the wonderful pleasure of working alongside Ethan at Kristine´s Kafe, and becoming friends with him outside of work. I can´t even put into words the warm, comfort Ethan could bring into a room. He was always happy and optimistic, and truly saw the beauty in every moment. No matter how he was feeling, he made sure to go the extra mile to make others feel better. I don´t think there was a single person who walked into Kristine´s that didn´t know Ethan by name. He truly just loved everyone. He introduced me to the church in town and would make it a priority to pick me up to go with him and his friends whenever I didn´t want to go alone. Campus is going to be a bit duller without his light in this world, but I have no doubt he is at peace in heaven. I am praying for his family through this time.
Dylan Brodie
April 10, 2024
I worked with Ethan at Kristine's Kafé at UW Platteville. There were these two cheap, under 20 dollar, lightsabers that were there. We used to have mock lightsaber duels where he'd be Anakin while I was Obi Wan and vice versa. I loved talking classical music, and Hans Zimmer music, with him. He will be greatly missed.
Garret Towner
April 10, 2024
It seemed like everytime I returned to campus at the end of the weekend, Ethan would instantly pull in to the parking lot next to mine. While completely unplanned, it was certainly welcomed. We would then walk back to the dorms and talk about things that happened that weekend. I was always so impressed with how present and genuine was in each conversation we shared. He had so many fun stories from Camp Anokijig and it was so incredibly clear the passion he had for being a community leader. When we reached our rooms, he always ended the conversation with,"It was really nice talking with you, I'll see you later Garret." Ethan was a great man and I am so happy I had the pleasure to know him.
Michelle Harrison
April 10, 2024
Ethan was designing a contraption to help the associates align the belt on a genset properly. It was an ingenious design that just needed a few tweaks. His first was named Laser Alignment Tool, then followed rev. B, C and then "Laser Alignment Tool Final. I questioned if he was being a little overly presumptuous and suggested the addition to the end of "Maybe". There were quite a few other revisions until he ended with "Laser Alignment Tool (Not sure which revision... I lost track)". He made me laugh every day that he stopped into the Metrology Lab. I had received a new 3D printer while he was at Kohler, and he helped teach me all about its capabilities. When he touched a soul with his presents he left a permanent mark.
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