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Family remembers teen killed in accident as joyful, class clown
Jan. 31, 2024 6:00 am, Updated: Jan. 31, 2024 8:07 am
ANAMOSA — Adam McWherter was not a quiet kid. He was not quiet about faith, he was not quiet about politics, and he was not quiet about joy.
The Anamosa 13-year-old — who died on Jan. 20, 10 days after he was hit by a car while sledding — was not afraid to be himself, even though he still was figuring out who that was, according to his mother, Amanda McWherter.
“He just liked to love out loud and be out loud … He was the comedic relief. He wasn’t always super serious. His teachers said the same thing. He was a joker, but he wasn’t malicious in his jokes,” Amanda said.
Just a few days before the crash, Adam had been causing a ruckus in his math class with a book he’d checked out from the school library. He and his friends had a running joke to see who could keep the book checked out for the longest, and Adam had finally gotten his hands on it. He finished his work early in math and cracked open the book to start reading out loud, from the book of Genesis. The book was the Bible.
“We are very faithful people, but because we’re so busy with wrestling and volleyball and all the athletics for the kids, we’re not always in church every week,” Amanda said. “It was interesting that he took that upon himself, but it doesn’t surprise me … He liked to cause a lot of trouble in his math class.”
Adam enjoyed sports but still was growing into his body and experimenting with what he liked to do, Amanda said. His twin sister, Grace, wrestles competitively with the Anamosa Wrestling Club, but Adam had never really liked wrestling. He competed in football, golf, basketball and archery, and enjoyed fishing and hunting with his dad on the weekends.
Last summer the family took a trip to South Dakota to explore the outdoors. Amanda had recently had surgery on her knees, so she was moving slowly while the family hiked Black Elk Peak, but Adam kept running ahead and coming back.
“I think we hiked nine miles that day, but Adam probably hiked closer to 11,” Amanda said. “He was just all over the place and wanted to climb to the highest peaks and do the things that absolutely frightened me because I thought he would fall. He was just in his element. He always liked to be outdoors.”
On Jan. 10, Adam was spending the second day in a row day sledding with a friend while school was closed because of the snow. Adam’s friend later told investigators the pair had been sledding down the McWherters’ driveway in the 13000 block of Buffalo Road, but had been stopping themselves with their arms before reaching the road, according to a search warrant affidavit.
Adam got going too fast on one of his trips down the driveway and wasn’t able to stop himself before entering the road. A 2008 GMC Envoy was driving past at that moment. The driver of the car, a 49-year-old Anamosa resident, told investigators Adam wasn’t visible until just before he entered the road. No charges have been filed in relation to the crash.
The community in Anamosa has overwhelmed the McWherters with support since the crash, Amanda said. Community groups immediately began hosting fundraisers, organizing dinners, and sending letters to Adam while he was in the hospital.
A GoFundMe page started on behalf of the McWherters raised $38,902 as of Tuesday afternoon. The Anamosa Wrestling Club hosted a fundraiser earlier this month that benefited the McWherters and the family of another Anamosa teen, Lucas Sigglan, who was injured in a snowboarding accident on Jan. 9.
Adam’s funeral was held last Thursday in Anamosa, and Amanda said she has heard from many people that she didn’t even know knew Adam about how he had made them laugh and brightened their lives.
“We knew he was a special kiddo, but we didn’t realize the level and magnitude of people that he had impacted so positively,” Amanda said. “I think he’d be pretty proud, coming from a kiddo that took a while to hit his stride and find his niche. I think he’s seen his sister have a lot of success athletically, and I think for him, he would be so proud of the fact that he touched people in such a positive way.”
Comments: (319) 398-8328; emily.andersen@thegazette.com
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