INTERNATIONAL FALLS, Minnesota — The National Park ranger who died while trying to save others was honored Sunday in International Falls.
The memorial service for Kevin Grossheim, 55, was held at International Falls High School.
"Kevin was one of the kindest souls I've come across. His quiet and calming demeanor had a way of putting people at ease," said Josh Wentz, Voyageurs National Park's chief ranger.
Grossheim and his wife, Jill, moved to Kabetogama more than 20 years ago. Grossheim spent 23 years as a ranger for Voyageurs National Park.
On Sunday, Oct. 6, St. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsay told KARE 11 that a 911 call came into dispatchers around 11:30 a.m. from a family of campers stranded on an island on Namakan Lake in Voyageurs National Park. Ramsay said conditions were brutal with winds gusting at well over 40 miles per hour and waves five to six feet tall, and the campers couldn't get their boat off the beach.
Grossheim reached the family but while attempting to tow the stranded craft to the mainland, the ranger's boat capsized and threw all four people into the water. The family made it to shore but Grossheim did not. After a three-hour search, Grossheim's body was recovered from Namakan Lake.
While colleagues at the memorial service described Grossheim as quiet, his actions spoke volumes.
"Kevin was an everyday hero that managed to avoid recognition himself and present it to others. He gave the ultimate sacrifice in his life for a family he didn't know, for a job he loved, and for his integrity," said Kabetogama Fire Chief Brian Wichner.
Besides his work as a park ranger, Grossheim spent nearly 20 years volunteering with the EMS/first responder team.
At his service, friends and colleagues said he had a passion for teaching boating and medical skills. Earlier this year, Grossheim received the park's annual safety award — something that many of his loved ones didn't know until after his death when reading the news in the local paper.
"Kevin never sought out glamorous jobs as it wasn't his way. So a lot of staff didn't know how much he had going on in the background," Wentz said.
According to Wentz, Grossheim was quickly approaching retirement and had plans with his extra time to modernize his childhood home.
While addressing the crowd, Wichner said about Grossheim, "He is our hero."