by Dennis Dalman
editor@thenewsleaders.com
Thomas Gregory Bearson enjoyed basketball so much he played the game practically ‘round the clock, in all weather and probably even in his dreams, said his father, Greg, during his son’s funeral Monday at St. Francis Xavier Church in Sartell.
Bearson, 18, a North Dakota State University student, died as the result of “homicidal violence” in the Fargo-Moorhead area sometime between Sept. 21-23 (see related story).
More than 1,000 people attended his funeral, officiated by Father Tim Baltes.
Bearson’s mother, Deb, recalled how Tom was born on a bitterly cold day (Jan. 6, 1996). Everyone remarked about the baby’s bright blue eyes. He developed into a good boy and a young man with a heart of gold, she said. And he was such a thoughtful and loving son that at a party when he was very young he declined to eat any peanut-butter chocolate candy because he knew his mother was allergic to peanuts and then he wouldn’t be able to give her kisses.
Bearson’s older sister, Maddie, – his only sibling – said she had learned much from her younger brother, who was a kind of mentor to her in many ways.
“I am proud to be his sister,” she said.
Another speaker was Dave Angell, a former Sartell coach, who told the congregation a story of disappointment that later turned into triumph. Bearson and the Sabres were playing a game against Albany High School when, to Bearson’s great disappointment, he missed a shot that could have won the game for the team. Angell told him such a failure can be a teachable moment. The next year, during a game vs. Albany again, Bearson made a shot that won the game for the Sartell Sabres.
Besides recalling his love of basketball, speakers at the funeral noted Bearson was a young man who was a good friend to many and a loving family member who had a promising future.
After the funeral, a cousin, Ryan Walsh, read a family statement to the press outside the church.
In the statement, the family thanked law-enforcement investigators, family, friends and relatives for an outpouring of support. The family also thanked the media for respecting family privacy during a time of such grief and sadness.
The family is hoping the perpetrator(s) can be arrested so “justice can be served.”
Tom Bearson touched so many people, the statement read, that “that thought brings us strength.”
The family members have so many times asked themselves, “Why Tom?”
“The only thing we can come up with is the basketball team in heaven must have needed a point guard.”
The statement ended with the family urging all parents “to hug your children and tell them you love them.”
Bearson
contributed by “In memory of Tom Bearson” Facebook page
Bearson played basketball while attending high school in Sartell. During Bearson’s funeral, Dave Angell, a former Sartell coach, told the congregation a story of disappointment that later turned into triumph. Bearson and the Sabres were playing a game against Albany High School when, to Bearson’s great disappointment, he missed a shot that could have won the game for the team. Angell told him such a failure can be a teachable moment. The next year, during a game vs. Albany again, Bearson made a shot that won the game for the Sartell Sabres.