ELK RIVER, Minn. — Jesse Hooper, the 12-year-old son of an Elk River firefighter, died unexpectedly Saturday, the city's fire department said in a Facebook post.
Jesse's obituary described him as "light-hearted" with "emotional awareness beyond his years." The obituary said Jesse attended Prairie View Middle School. It has not yet been revealed how he died.
A GoFundMe created by a neighbor has raised over $9,000 to support Jesse's family. More than 150 people have contributed to the fundraiser as of Tuesday afternoon.
The GoFundMe said Jesse was a "curious" kid who had a knack for learning how things worked by putting them "back together after he took them apart."
"When Jesse would be driving an RC car around, it consisted of wheels with wires hanging out of the lego [sic] base because he's taken apart and put it back together so many times," the fundraiser's creator, neighbor Jamie Pipp, wrote.
Pipp said Jesse also had an "impressively responsible" 15-year-old brother who already has a part-time job.
Elk River based AEGIR Brewing Company committed to raising money for Jesse's family in a Facebook post of its own. All taproom sales on Saturday, July 23 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. will be donated to the Hoopers.
AEGIR said that's 100% of sales, not just profit.
Comments also poured in Tuesday on the Elk River Fire Department's Facebook post, offering well wishes for Jesse's family and friends.
Jesse's father Tony Hooper has been an Elk River firefighter since 2020, according to the department's site.
A Celebration of Life service for Jesse will take place Friday afternoon in Brooklyn Park.
MORE NEWS: Family dog hit by gunshots in St. Paul home
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities in our YouTube playlist:
