Fletcher Merkel was 8 years old when he was killed at Annunciation Church. His parents want people to remember his inclusiveness, fairness and joy.

MINNEAPOLIS — In Fletcher Merkel’s bedroom, it’s as if time stands still.
The shelves are lined with his treasures, a football signed by the Green Bay Packers, baseball trophies, a bag of Pokémon cards, Legos, his baby blanket.
“This is Fletcher,” his mom, Mollie Merkel said as she entered the room. “All the things that he loved and had little collections.”

She likes to come into the room and rub the corner of Fletcher’s baby blanket as he once did. Fletcher’s dad, Jesse Merkel, sometimes opens his son’s diary to get a peek inside his mind.
“Whenever I’m really missing him, it’s fun to kind of open to a random page,” Jesse explained.
For one year, the Merkels have navigated life without their son and grief in the public eye.
“I refer to this year as the longest, shortest year of my life,” Mollie said.
Fletcher was “constant chaos,” according to his parents – in the best possible way. They recall hearing a basketball bouncing inside before anyone woke up and how his hair was perpetually messy.
His shoes had holes in them within weeks – just another sign of Fletcher’s boundless energy.
And yet, in the midst of that whirlwind of activity, was a huge heart.
Mollie says he played sports and always made sure everyone was passed to and got to participate.
“And he had this sense of rightness and fairness, and he did a really good job of stepping up for himself and his friends when he saw something wasn’t quite right,” Jesse said.

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For the past year, they’ve worked to honor their son with events Fletcher would have loved.
Fishing with Fletcher was an event to teach kids to fish – one of Fletcher’s passions. Fletcher Fest was a celebration what would have been his 9th birthday at Annunciation School. Mollie and Jesse announced a scholarship in his honor for a child who embodied Fletcher’s spirit.
And because they want his story to continue to be told and to help bring change, they shared Fletcher’s bedroom with a national documentary called “All The Empty Rooms” focusing on children lost to school shootings.
“If everyone could stand in one of these rooms. Things would be different,” Mollie said.
The family has been overwhelmed by the support they’ve received from their neighbors, the Annunciation community and from people all over the world.

“For that we will be forever grateful,” Jesse said.
For the Merkels, including Fletcher’s siblings, the grief is ever present.
But little by little, with time, they hope that one day joy will be too.
Mollie describes it as “moving forward, not moving on, not forgetting.”
Jesse says it’s what their son would have wanted.  “Fletcher wouldn’t want us to waste our lives being sad about him. He would like for us to be happy and for people to be happy, his friends and family too.”