The community was out in force Tuesday to salute William “Cole” Wohle as his body was transported home for burial.
Hundreds of people lined the grass walkway next to the football field at ConVal, where Wohle played and amassed a large group of friends before graduating in June. Friends and community members consoled each other as they waited for Wohle’s escort. American flags adorned the back windows of trucks and some bore commemorative stickers showing a silhouette of Wohle on the back of a rodeo horse. State troopers and fire trucks from several different towns to honor Wohle’s service to the Francestown Fire Department were part of the procession.
“He was a big brother to anyone that needed one,” said Wohle’s friend and classmate Jaylyn Desrosiers, 16, of Peterborough. “He would turn to you ready with a big hug and a huge smile. He had a smile that could light up the world.”
Wohle, 18, of Francestown, died this weekend of apparent heart failure while competing at a rodeo at Pond Hill Ranch in Poultney, Vermont. He was taken to Rutland Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Wohle had been an active member of the Francestown Fire Department Explorers, a fire training program for teens, and had recently acquired his Fire Fighter I certification, and was preparing to join the department as a full member.
Fire fighting was one of his passions, and another, said his friends, was rodeo.
“He was super motivated,” said his friend and football teammate John Grossi, 17, of Peterborough. “He would take the time to explain everything about it to you.”
Wohle, who worked on his parents’ farm as well as with them at the Francestown Village Store, had a long-time interest in horses and “loved cowboy boots,” said his friends, and really got into the rodeo scene in the past year.
Kris Levesque, of Peterborough, said that her son, Hunter Matthewson, was Wohle’s close friend and his “chute man,” who had been traveling with him to rodeos. Her son was with Wohle on Saturday when he collapsed.
“Hunter called me from the road. Any time an 18-year-old dies so suddenly, it’s a shock. Especially one of Cole’s caliber,” said Levesque.
Levesque described Wohle as a young man who was steady beyond his years.
“There was a time when my son was in a situation where he needed adult advice, and there wasn’t an adult available,” said Levesque. “So he turned to Cole. And not only did Cole give him the right advice, but he gave him a ride home and made sure that he was all right. He genuinely was one of the most caring people.”
Other friends recalled that same spirit.
“When I went through my first breakup, everyone at my lunch table was kind of mocking me a little,” said Millie Weinreich, 18, of Bennington. “And when they left, Cole came and sat next to me, and he said I had to be tougher than everyone thought I was. That was just the kind of guy he was.”
“It didn’t matter if you were purple,” said John Grossi. “He would be friends with anyone. He was just the nicest person you’ve ever met. As you can see,” he said, indicating the crowd of people awaiting Wohle’s escort, “there are a lot of people who are affected by this.”
“Going into the Francestown Store won’t be the same anymore,” said Weinreich.
Services for Wohle will be held this Sunday at the Francestown Meeting House, with a brief service at 4 p.m., followed by his burial at the Cemetery #3 in Francestown.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.