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This talk of great Americans and unsung heroes would not be complete without the addition of one Keaton Bohrmann. Most likely none of you have ever heard of Keaton. He's not a celebrity, he isn't a veteran, he was merely just a good man. He was, however, the epitome of why we do these stories. A humble young man, from San Antonio, Texas, who with his goofy smile made each person he met feel like the most important person in the world.Keaton was a goofball, a class clown, and a talented third baseman. We first met Keaton in college and saw him grow from the youngness of boyhood into the kind and generous man that he was. As a member of the Texas Lutheran University baseball team, he was under the guidance of Coach Greg Burnett. Coach Burnett instilled a sense of pride and rightness among his players, but that's a story for another day. Very rarely do you have someone completely buy into the philosophy their coach is trying to teach. Most players buy into bits and pieces of a coaches philosophy, but as Keaton grew so did his buy-in until he was all in.His antics sometimes got him in a little bit of hot water, but for the most part, his shenanigans were cheeky and fun, never cruel and tragic. There was never a dull moment around Keaton, that's certain!The years passed by and the boy that we had once known, had grown into a man. Still, with that goofy smile, Keaton went to work coaching baseball. Helping. Keaton was always that friend that you never knew you had but was always there. You'd feel down and out because life doesn't always pan out the way you want, and then you look up, there was Keaton and your day was better.
Keaton was killed in a car accident while coming home from doing what he did best, helping others recover from Hurricane Harvey. Helping people he did and didn't know. It was just part of his character, it's who he was. That goofy smile will forever be remembered by those that knew Keaton, even for five minutes, as one of the kindest, and most genuine friends you could ever have.We're not promised a lot of time on this Earth. As gritty and strong as we are, our lives are still frail and fragile, a flame that can be easily extinguished. Keaton understood early on that he could either talk about being a good man, or he could just be a good man, and with the few short years he spent on this earth, he spent being a good man. TLU will never be the same without that chance of seeing Keaton Bohrmann there. The world could use more folks like Keaton Bohrmann.#KB4Read more stories of American Grit:
