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Community Corner

In Mourning, A Community Comes Together

Funeral services for 12-year-old Andy Niebler were held on Sunday.

Hundreds of people from a tight-knit Waukesha school and sports community came together for Andy Niebler’s funeral Sunday at Gethsemane United Methodist Church in Pewaukee, filling the small church to overflowing capacity to share their grief and show their love for the 12-year-old who died too soon.

People attending, including many of his young friends, classmates and teammates, spoke of the impact Andy had on them.

They remembered that he was a good friend, a protective big brother and a good ballplayer, with an infectious smile, who wanted to know everything about anything, dreaming to be a physicist one day.

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Andy died last week surrounded by his family, after a year-long, courageous fight with brain cancer.

The overfilled church was a reflection of the many lives he touched.

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His fifth-grade teacher at Randall Elementary School remembered that Andy was always kind to people but also had a sly sense of humor, telling him he better hurry up when the teacher said he was going to get him some books to read.

A camp counselor said that what he will remember most about Andy, in addition to his sense of humor, which he frequently used to tweak his Cubs-loving leader, was that he mentored younger children, taking them under his wing.

Andy’s babysitter said she had many memories of Andy, who was a natural athlete and a joy to watch grow-up.

The church was decorated with baseball balloons, a tribute to the boy who was said to have a “decent knuckleball.”

Young teammates from the Waukesha Firebirds baseball team, brought by their parents, attended the funeral, some in uniforms or team shirts, and later gathered around a memorial of Andy, pointing out pictures of memories together.

Funeral mourners were comforted by the pastor who quoted from Matthew, chapter 19, verse 14 in which Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

 Andy was born on Aug. 31, 1998, to David and Mary Beth (nee Bollom) Niebler. Andy will be lovingly missed by his parents; his sisters, Hannah and Celia; his maternal grandparents, Daniel and Penny Bollom of Green Bay; his paternal grandparents, Dr. Charles and Carol Niebler of Hartland; many other family members and friends.

In lieu of flowers, in appreciation of the great care Andy received this past year, his family would request any donations to be made to Children’s Hospitals Foundation, P.O. Box 1997 MS3050, Milwaukee, WI 53201 or to the MACC Fund, 10000 W. Innovation Dr., Milwaukee, WI 53226.

, a 3-on-3 basketball tournament at Center Court, is scheduled for Sunday.

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