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HEBER CITY — An entire community gathered to mourn the loss of two young brothers Monday night: 14-year-old Coleman Sweat and 7-year-old Trevan Sweat.
The Heber City boys were critically injured in a snowmobiling accident Friday, and were pronounced dead Saturday morning. Members of their community gathered Monday night to pay show the Sweat family they're not alone in this tragedy.
"The community is hurting. It's a big loss for the parents, for the school, just everybody who is involved with the Sweat family is really going to miss those boys," said Justin Kelly, principal of Rocky Mountain Middle School, where Coleman Sweat attended classes.
Most said the tragedy still had not set in.
"I couldn't sleep last night, and I started to cry," said D.J. Cohen, a family friend.
Students on Coleman's wrestling team said he was a role model.
"He was just a great kid. He was a leader on our team. It won't be the same without him," said teammate Seth Gardner.
"(Coleman was) a kid that students looked up to at our school," friend Richie Heywood said.
Each person who attended the vigil was asked to write a message to Coleman and Trevan. Every letter then tied to a balloon and released — all 1,500 of them.
Some families let their balloons go together in hopes of holding onto their best memories of Trevan and Coleman.
"Coleman always had a smile on his face, and you didn't know if it was because he might be in trouble or because he was having a good time," Kelly remembered.
"And Trevan was just a sweet boy who always wanted to be outside and have a good time with his grandpa and grandma," Kelly added.
It's those stories that will stay with this community as they begin to heal.
