Life, death, and a brother’s love – this goat hat story is even more amazing than I originally realized.
When I wrote a few days ago about a young boy giving Brett Eldredge a goat hat at the fair, I didn’t expect the story to actually end up touching my soul. But in the end, that’s just what it did …
See, after I wrote the original story, people started emailing me (and emailing and emailing and emailing) about the real story behind the hat. What I assumed was a kid proud of his goat business ended up actually being about his brother who had passed away a few months before that hat ended up in Brett’s hands.
Trevor Schwager was a seemingly incredible 18-year-old young man with his whole life ahead of him who was tragically killed in a car accident last December on his way to welding class at a local college. It was Trevor who was starting the goat business that the hats were printed for. It was his brother Keaton who ended up giving one of those hats to Brett.
From an email I received just this morning:
The little boy who gave the hat to Brett, Keaton, lost his older brother in a tragic car accident about one year ago. Trevor Schwager was on his way to school in the morning when he was killed in a tragic car accident. Trevor was his parents pride and joy and they were obviously devastated by the loss of him, as were his two brothers. After his passing, an outpouring of love and support for the family really reflected what an amazing young man Trevor was. He was kind, dedicated to sports as well as his family and the Lord, and spent his free time enjoying the outdoors and working with his hands. He was a boy growing up to be the kind of man you want your son to be.
The hat pictured in the photo is one that his parents began selling after his death, to raise money for Trevor’s memorial.
A family friend who worked at the high school Trevor Schwager went to emailed to let me know that “Trevor was a big country fan and loved driving his truck around. He had plans to start a business raising goats (hence the hats they had made for friends and family).”
From the multitude of emails I’ve received from friends, family, and others who knew Trevor, the young man seemed to be a light in everyone’s life. I honestly have never had such an outpouring from people as I did with this story, which really gives me an idea of what Trevor meant to those around him. And as the mother of an 18-year-old son myself, the story has really hit me.
One of Trevor’s close friends emailed and said what everyone else seemed to be trying to express: “So many story’s , memory’s, feelings with that kid. He was truly the friend everyone wanted.”
The friend also mentioned something that everyone else seemed grateful for also … Brett himself.
“I wish we could all thank Brett so much for that because it means a lot to everyone that knew Trevor,” he wrote.
With the far reaching arms of social media and fans, I’m sure the singer has probably already been made aware of the rest of the story. If not, maybe he or his people will read this follow-up story and realize that the seemingly simple gesture of a kid at the fair and the kindness of a famous singer who shared the story has touched so many lives and hearts.
And thank you to everyone who has taken the time to email and made me realize that sometimes it’s the simplest stories and actions that can have the biggest impacts.
Trevor’s obituary if you’d like to get to know him more.
