Ethan B. Baker / McKee (parents) Ethan B. (Baker & McKee)

Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We are using it to keep family and friends updated in one place. We appreciate your support and words of hope and encouragement. Thank you for visiting.   In the early morning of Saturday, May 12, 2018, the Sturgis home of Cherie and Bill McKee, burned. Young Ethan Baker was the first to alert the adults to the fire that had started.  Cherie and Bill, both SBHS Alumni and longtime Sturgis educators, escaped unharmed. Their adult children, Jason McKee (SBHS Class of '88) and Mandy Mckee, as well as Mandy's young son, Ethan Baker, all sustained serious lung injuries due to smoke inhalation, etc.  Ethan was life-flighted to the burn unit at Children's Hospital in Denver, CO (His mom, Mandy, and uncle, Jason, were flown to North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley, CO ).  Ethan's dad, Jason Baker, traveled with him and is by his side at Children's Hospital.  Grandpa & Grandma, Bill & Cherie, plus Ethan's aunt, Katy (McKee) Hemenway drove down to Colorado to support them as well. Ethan is undergoing constant assessment and treatment of both his current injuries as well as his pre-existing asthma.  We will keep everyone updated here, so that friends, family, and Ethan's school mates can follow his progress.

Ethan could not be in better hands than Children's Hospital, and National Jewish Hospital is also in Denver and world-renowned for treating respiratory issues.  During their public school careers, Bill and Cherie taught many of us (and our kids); in Cherie's 20+ years of preschool, she taught our children and even grandchildren. Now this family who has always been at the ready to help others really needs our prayers and support, now and in the coming weeks and months, to help them make a full recovery.