Saturday, some teenagers who knew Fred Bletz as a friend and father figure raised money in his honor to help his family.
VFW Post 3732 in Ionia was Fred Bletz's second home. It's also where he met and mentored teens like Jamie Byrne.
"He liked to talk and just be cool to people," Byrne said.
Deb Kneale first met Bletz during a teen meeting at the VFW.
"That's all he talked about: his ability to work with the kids and the youth," Kneale said.
But Bletz's ideals and visions for young people died with him last month after he was shot and killed.
"A lot of the kids do feel lost without him," said friend Kyle Miller.
Ionia County deputies shot Bletz inside his Saranac home. The deputies were serving a warrant at midnight for Bletz's son Zach. Deputies reported Fred Bletz came out of a room holding a gun and, after refusing orders to drop the gun, deputies shot and killed him.
Many are still bothered and broken up about Bletz's death.
"I can't accept it," said friend Ed Sumnter. "I won't accept what took place."
Bletz was Vietnam War veteran, a member of the Rolling Thunder motorcycle group, and the first and only man to travel from West Michigan to the nation's capital in a prisoner of war cage.
Organizers of Saturday afternoon's hog roast benefit hope it will help his family cope with their loss.
"They did not have the insurance, so we decided we got to do something for them because the kids also liked him," Sumnter said.
All of the money raised will go to the Bletz family.
"They felt pride in being able to assist his family that helped them through this process," Kneale said.
"He'll always be right here in everybody's heart," said Byrne.
State Police detectives are still investigating Bletz's death. They tell us they're waiting for lab results before sending their report to the Ionia County Prosecutor's office for review.