Bottle cap donations needed after fatal farm accident involving Vienna High-School teen

PADUCAH, Ky. (KBSI) –  A small community is turning a terrible loss into an act of love.

18-year old Vienna high school student Garrett Hunerkoch passed away on May 9th, 2026, according to community members who were close to Garrett the young country boy made a positive impact everywhere he went, and was very involved in the farming community, in FFA, 4-h and the autobody program at Vienna high school. Tammie Obermark is the Happy Hillbillies 4-h leader and shares how they are working to keep Garret’s memory alive at the Massac County fair.

“We’re collecting bottle caps on behalf of Garrett Hunerkoch. He was one of our previous 4-H members in Massac County with the Happy Hillbillies 4-H club. He was very involved at the Vienna High School with FFA, and he loved his tractors and loved his farm. Unfortunately, he was taken from us during a farming accident back in the month of May” says Obermark. “Garrett found great pleasure and love at our county fair, and he was always the one that you would see on his tractor during the tractor show and he was always a part of the fair and was there with his friends and family and we want it to be a part of his life, representing what he loved the most, agriculture and Massac County farming.”

 Plastic caps are needed for memorial benches, milk, soda and other plastic bottle caps are needed to make memorial benches in honor of Garrett. Caps can be dropped off at St. Vincent DePaul of Paducah thrift store or any Sothern Illinois University extension center, or at the Massac County youth fair in July, with a deadline of August. 

 “Help us collect caps, because it’s not just about the community within Massac County. It’s about reaching out across the rivers and to other states in the tri state area. 4-H is all about giving back to others and we want to give back to our community in Garretts honor” says Obermark.