Dan Bryan realized after work on September 16, 2020, that he could still catch the tail end of his 16-year-old son's baseball practice at West County High School in Park Hills, Missouri. He arrived just in time to see Ethan smash a ball that bounced over the fence at right field, driving in two runs to bring their practice to a close, according to People Magazine.
As he circled back to fetch his bat, Ethan looked up to acknowledge his father with a big wave and a smile. That was a complete surprise for Dan as his son usually offered little more than a humble nod. He said Ethan had never done that before, which showed him he was having an absolute blast and enjoying life.
Little did Dan know that would be their final interaction together as Ethan's young life came to a tragic end less than an hour later. Dan's ex-wife delivered the unfortunate news, calling him to say their son had been involved in a car accident.
Ethan's life meets tragic end after violent crash with pickup truck
He had swerved to avoid another vehicle, running head-on into a pickup truck as a result and dying at the scene. Hundreds attended Ethan's funeral four days later on the Bulldogs' baseball field, with his coffin placed behind home plate, according to Today.
Dan's mourning for his beloved son, who started playing baseball at the young age of 5, was only beginning. The city administrator withdrew into himself as he struggled to deal with his son's death.
He said he was very emotional as he dealt with anxiety and depression. He could not leave the house and could not get himself to go. According to the grieving dad, supporting his son's teammates and attending their games was one of the toughest things he could do.
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Baseball book helps father with the grieving process
That proved to be the thing that rescued him from his sorrow. The 46-year-old dad showed up in one of the team's games after he was asked to throw out the first pitch in Ethan's honor. He was seated in the bleachers when the school principal gave him a book titled "A Year of Playing Catch," written by an author named Ethan D. Bryan.
According to Dan, seeing his son's name on a book about baseball floored him. When he finally read the book, he raced through the author's nonfiction account of tossing a baseball with a different person for 365 consecutive days.
Dan soon was on the phone with the book's author, telling him about his desire to launch his own yearlong game of catch in honor of his son. Dan has used Ethan's baseball and glove to play catch with more than 230 people since January 1, 2022. He has chronicled his baseball journey on his Facebook page, with people from as far away as California, Florida, Texas, and Israel, reaching out and asking him if they can join him in a toss.
