Gavin Wendricks Memorial Fund

Update as of 11.4.23: Due to overwhelming love and support, the goal for Gavin Wendricks Memorial Fund has been raised. This outpouring of support means a great deal to Paul, Shannon and Brooklyn. Thinking of all the ways they will be able to hold onto Gavin's memory and make a positive impact in his name, gives them something positive to focus on during this difficult time. THANK YOU!

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On behalf of Paul, Shannon and Brooklyn Wendricks, this memorial fund is being set up in memory of Gavin Wendricks. Donations will go towards organization(s) and lifestyle activities important to Gavin. The family appreciates all the love and support during this difficult time.

As shared by the Cottage Grove Fire Department:

COTTAGE GROVE – It is with the heaviest of heart that we share news of the passing of Cottage Grove Firefighter Gavin Wendricks who succumbed to injuries received in a motorcycle accident on the afternoon of Saturday, October 28th. Gavin became a member of the department in April of 2022, joining his father Paul who has been with CGFD since 1998. Gavin, with his big heart and bigger smile will be greatly missed.

This accident occurred on National First Responders Day. A day meant to thank and honor all of those who routinely put the needs of others ahead of their own. Gavin had immense pride and devotion to the fire service. He relished the opportunity to work alongside his father and fellow first responders.

We share our deepest condolences with his parents Paul and Shannon, sister Brooklyn, and the entire Wendricks family.

Please join us in keeping the Wendricks family in your thoughts and prayers as we help them through this difficult time.

As shared by Mad-City Ski Team:

We are holding the Wendricks family, a pillar of the Mad-City family, close in our hearts with the news of their most beloved son's passing. Gavin is gone far too soon and we will all remember his joy for life and infectious smile. It was difficult to keep a straight face around Gavin, known for his silliness and wit. Please keep his parents Paul and Shannon, and sister Brooklyn, in your thoughts and hearts as they navigate this world that is now missing such a big part of them.

As shared by ALCIVIA

There are times when it’s necessary to communicate news that is painful and heart-wrenching. This is one of those times.

It is with great sadness that we share the passing of Gavin Wendricks, a key member of the ALCIVIA team. Gavin worked as a Logistics Driver for ALCIVIA since February of this year and he will be greatly missed. We would like to share a story from a teammate that demonstrates the amazing person and teammate Gavin was:

“One evening, I was attempting to repair a trailer in our lot. Gavin was on his way home after his shift and stopped to talk with me as he usually did. He asked what I was doing, and I explained that I was trying to repair this trailer.

Gavin confidently told me he could fix it with no problem (I think he noticed I was in over my head and wanted to help). The next morning when I arrived, I learned Gavin traveled to Madison to get the part we needed, purchased it on his own, and fixed it. I was so impressed and very appreciative. I made sure he was reimbursed and compensated for his time, but Gavin did something unnecessary and it spoke volumes to the team player and caring individual he was.”

Please take a moment with us to pause, appreciate, and remember Gavin, and keep his family and friends in your thoughts and prayers.

-The ALCIVIA Team

Obituary

COTTAGE GROVE - Gavin Thomas Wendricks, age 20, of Cottage Grove, passed away on Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023. He was born on July 20, 2003, in Madison, the son of Paul and Shannon (Caraher) Wendricks.

Gavin graduated from Monona Grove High School in 2021 where he participated in the Dane County Youth Apprenticeship program and graduated as a welder. From a young age, Gavin enjoyed working, especially if it was with his hands and outdoors. He was a champion for the skilled trades industry and was ambitious in his pursuit of the next trade or skill. After high school he worked as a welder and as a heavy equipment operator. Within the past year he achieved a long time goal of obtaining his commercial drivers license and became a grain hauler for ALCIVIA.

Gavin was dedicated to his community and was very involved in community service. He had a helpful heart and could often be found doing yard work or tasks for his grandparents and neighbors. He was a member of Boy Scout Troop 132 and achieved the rank of STAR. Gavin grew up watching his dad serve his community as a volunteer fire fighter and at a very young age expressed his desire to follow in his father’s footsteps. He fulfilled his life long dream and officially joined the Cottage Grove Volunteer Fire Department in April of 2022. He had immense pride in being able to call himself a fire fighter. Gavin’s impact of service to others is still unmeasurable in his final wish to be an organ and tissue donor.

Gavin participated in many sports, however, his favorite was baseball. He cherished his many years with the GRB baseball program. He still referred to the best week of his life being the week he had the opportunity to play in the Cooperstown Dream Park National Tournament, where he was inducted into the American Youth Baseball Hall of Fame. As a Scout, among the many campouts he participated in, some of the most memorable were attending the National Scout Jamboree in West Virginia, paddling and fishing the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Ely, Minnesota, and backpacking the Rocky Mountains in New Mexico at the BSA Philmont High Adventure base alongside his father, extended family, and fellow Scouts.

Friends and family were extremely important to Gavin. He enjoyed attending his younger sister Brooklyn’s activities and thoroughly enjoyed the privilege of being her protector and will now be her guardian angel forever. Every year Gavin looked forward to family time in Connecticut & Wisconsin with the Caraher, Bares, Breitlow, and Wendricks families. Whether it was deer hunting at the family farm, participating with the Mad City Ski Team as a skier and a safety boat driver, Living the Lake Life, or hanging out with friends helping them build their trucks, participating in numerous power sports most notably snowmobiling, gathering at his grandparent’s backyard fire pit with friends, helping both grandfathers with their holiday trains, or other farm field fires with friends. Gavin was THE larger than life presence that made everyone around him enjoy themselves. No matter what place, be it firehouse, family event, shindig, or gathering of friends that Gavin entered, it was never quiet.

Gavin is survived by his parents, Paul and Shannon; sister, Brooklyn, family dog Stella; paternal grandparents, Nelson and Carol Wendricks; maternal grandfather, Tom Caraher; maternal grandmother, Linda (Frank) Bares; uncles, Mark (Rhonda) Wendricks, Brian (Kristi) Wendricks, Tom (Emma) Caraher, Ryan (Tara) Bares, Devon (Katherine) Bares; cousins, Darren, Danielle, and Dylan Wendricks, Taylor, Lilly and, Garret Wendricks, William and Charlotte Caraher, Tate Bares, Mick and Pippin Bares; Godmother, Sherri Fameree; best friend, and self-proclaimed twin, Kevin Nett; Members of the Cottage Grove Fire Department and the extended first responder community; as well as many other family members and close friends.

He was preceded in death by great-grandmother, Alice Wendricks; great-grandparents, Glenway & Leona Breitlow; Thomas & Mary Caraher; Robert & Bettye Evans; and cousin, Kristopher Wendricks.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Gavin Wendricks Memorial Fund online at <https://gofund.me/a72d13ed> . In addition donations may also be mailed or dropped off at any Bank of Sun Prairie location, including the Cottage Grove branch.

Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com.