WOOSTER − As soon as one walked into Grace Church, you could already see a full display of passions that Wooster baseball player Maddox Graser held throughout his 17 years of life.
The funeral service held for Graser, who died Friday, April 24 at Akron’s Children’s Hospital in Akron due to a serious medical emergency, was held on Saturday afternoon. In the hallways outside of the sanctuary were a number of framed pictures of Graser.
There was a few collages full of baseball pictures of Graser. A picture of him batting at the plate. There was one of him holding his hand up after a victory on the wrestling mat as a member of the Wooster wrestling team. Right next to it was him on a dirt bike, one of his obsessions.
When you entered the sanctuary, a large pictorial rug of Graser and a sweatshirt with his last name and jersey No. 2 in a frame was positioned at the front of the altar.
Pastor Arnie Kaufman officiated the funeral service and started out with saying this was a situation no one wanted to be in at this time.
“It sucks to be here today. We come to honor an individual who lived life to the fullest. An individual that was active. An individual who some say he liked baseball,” said Kaufman, as laughter came from the crowd at hand. “To come together to support one another should come away down the road, but we’re here. To celebrate a life way too soon. For Maddox Graser, life was a diamond full of potential. Just like in baseball when the game gets difficult, we rely on our team.
“Today, we’re the team that Maddox left behind. Coming together to support one another that would honor his memory.”
Kaufman highlighted Graser’s many desires like wrestling, baseball, dirt bike riding, fishing, gaming and derby cars. Then he dived into the bravery Graser showed in donating his organs three days after his death at the Akron Children’s Hospital, in which he received a Walk of Honor. But like most still at this time, many are trying to process Graser’s unexpected passing.
“He didn’t get hit in the head. He didn’t trip over second base. No one slipped something in his soda or no one put anything in his candy. It was just one of those weird things that happened that even the doctors were saying, ‘We don’t know what happened. We don’t know why it happened,'” said Kaufman.
Graser’s uncle, Mark Graser, spoke and said he watched Maddox grow up and will miss seeing those playful moments with his cousins.
“He was a son, an athlete and a friend that many of you love today,” Graser said. “I watched him learn how to ride a bike, catch a baseball, do backflips on the trampoline and change tires. I loved to watch him steal bases on the diamond and the hearts of pretty girls. While all these memorials are edged in my heart, my favorite ones are those watching from the front steps where I saw him love his little cousins.
“He became a quiet leader. He became the big cousin they admired and followed without question.”
Wooster baseball head coach Steve Young added that Graser’s baseball potential was sky high as a sophomore.
“Maddox was an ordinary kid. He was the kind of kid a coach would like to have once in a lifetime,” Young said. “From the first day he stepped on the field in fall of 2024, we all knew he was different. He was gritty. Tough as nails. Full go every rep. He competed with everything he had, whether it was the bottom of the seventh, a tough drill in practice or simply playing catch. I had a conversation last Tuesday about playing in college. That was his dream.
“He was just realizing how realistic the goal was. I said to him, ‘Not only are you going to play in college but if we can add 12-15 pounds on that tiny frame, you’re a Division I guy.”
But for Young, it’s that smile he’ll remember the most.
“Beyond the uniform, he was an even better kid,” said Kaufman. “He had a billion dollar smile. A smile that I will always remember and picture. A smile that would light up the dugout and loosen us up in a tough moment to remind everyone not to take life too seriously. This loss hurts so very much. Today we’re mourning a son, a friend and a ball player. I love you. I miss you and can’t wait to see you again.
For the Wooster Generals varsity baseball team, they will resume their season at home on Monday against Lexington, in which Kaufman addressed to the baseball team sitting in front, “I know you play on Monday. Kick their butts. Maybe Maddox will look down and be proud.”
Towards the end, Kaufman offered these words in the midst of the pain being felt of losing Graser.
“May his memory spur us on.”
jamessimpson@gannett.com
Twitter/X: @JamesSimpsonII
This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Family, friends gather at funeral for Wooster baseball player Maddox Graser
Reporting by James Simpson II, Wooster Daily Record / The Daily Record
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
