BONDUEL, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The farming community is rallying around a pair of Shawano County brothers who are missing and presumed dead in Missouri.
“Diemel strong” among handwritten messages to Justin and Nick’s family.
“Not everyone likes to talk about it, but people can express their feelings, or thoughts, or love by writing it out,” said Troy Porter, owner of Porter’s Patch.
Porter’s Patch was a place to heal and donate to the Diemels on Thursday. All of the farm’s proceeds also went to benefit the family.
The business sold out of everything which totaled $2,600.74.
DTR Concrete matched the sales, donating another $2,600.74 making the number $5,201.48.
$1,966.51 was donated making a grand total raised of $7,167.99 at the Diemel Brother’s Benefit.
“People started filtering in and cleaning the shelves off,” said Porter.
“We’re picking blueberries and then buying blueberries and probably some salsa,” said Loretta Vanrite. Vanrite’s children once worked for the Diemel family.
While people picked blueberries, stories of the brothers were shared. Porter’s favorite is one his son told him about Nick and some goats he once owned.
“He told everyone that they were fainting goats, but guess what? They really weren’t,” said Porter. “But to make a goat faint you have to startle them and that’s what people would do and they would never faint.”
A community leaning on each other during a tough time.
“It’s been, you know, it’s been emotional, I think for a lot of people,” said Porter.
“Everyone is family when you’re in a small town like this, it’s just, everybody sticks tight together and shows their support for one another,” said Jake Reinke.
Reinke was good friends with Nick Diemel through high school and college. He showed up with his family. While blueberry picking is a therapeutic process, people say the healing in this community will take more time.
“I think it’s going to be tough to really start that process until we get a few more answers and just closure on everything,” said Reinke. “There’s just so many unanswered questions for the family yet. It’s terrible, it’s hard to ever think that closure’s even going to be close. I feel like it’s a long ways away yet.”
The Navarino Rangers are also auctioning off an American flag made of wooden bats to benefit the Diemel family. It was made by a former player on the baseball team.
The auction will start Friday on their Facebook page, and it will run for about a week
