Napanee family unveils memorial garden honouring son who died in King Street Park

A Napanee family grieving the loss of their son now has a permanent memorial to keep his memory alive.

The Garrett Mills Memorial Garden now sits in King Street Park, the same place where a soccer net fell on the 15-year-old in May 2017, killing him instantly.

Mills was playing with his friends when the soccer net he was hanging onto fell on top of him.

His father, David Mills, says the net was old and due for a replacement. The family later learned from a coroner’s report that it was expected to be replaced just two days later.

Since the day of the tragic incident, his family has been finding different ways to honour Garrett and carry on his legacy.

The garden was funded by the town and constructed last month.

Notes from Garrett’s friends and family are engraved in the cement surrounding the garden.

The Mills family hopes the garden will be a place of enjoyment for Napanee residents and will keep his memory alive, along with the third and final Garett-Fest, a scholarship fundraiser set to take place later this month.

— With files from Jonna Semple and Alexander Day