KOKOMO, In. – On Monday evening, hundreds of balloons were sent skyward at the Albright Cemetery in Indiana, to honor fallen Sheriff’s Deputy Carl Koontz. Attached to the balloons were short notes, each one containing an address and asking for return letters to Koontz’s young son, Noah Koontz.

On March 20, 2017 Howard County Sheriff’s Deputy Carl Koontz died while he and his partner were attempting to serve a search warrant at a home in the central Indiana town of Russiaville. Koontz was 27 at the time.

Less than 24 hours after the balloons were released to commemorate the one year mark of Koontz death, a group of them was discovered in a West Virginia field roughly 300 miles away by Sandy Hudson Buttrick.

Buttrick, didn’t know the Koontz family. She didn’t know their story. But now, she is part of it.

On Tuesday afternoon, Buttrick, a resident of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, noticed a bundle of blue balloons near her campground on the Ohio River while unloading wood for summer camping.

She read the notes attached and decided to send a message to the Koontz family, specifically 18-month-old Noah Koontz and his mother, Carl Koontz’s widow, Kassandra Koontz.

In part, the note read, “This balloon was released March 20, 2017. It was released in honor of Deputy Carl Koontz on the 1 year anniversary of his death. Officer Koontz died in the line of duty on March 20, 2016. He left behind a wife and a now 18 month old son.

“If you find this balloon please write us a little note to give to Noah when he gets older. Our hopes are that he will see that even though his dad is gone that he is still touching people’s lives all over the U.S.”

Later that day, Buttrick posted a video on Facebook of her re-releasing the balloons to “fly again,” sending them and the accompanying notes to the next recipient, the next person to hear Noah, Kassandra and Carl’s story.

Kassandra Koontz later shared the video in a Facebook page titled “Letters for Noah from balloon release,” dedicated to sharing responses from around the country.

“It is so exciting when we find things like this and help people out,” Buttrick told the Tribune, noting that her area of West Virginia seems to receive an inordinate amount of balloons.

“Everyone has a special memory to share and we love to share,” Buttrick said.

After losing her husband to cancer three years ago, Buttrick understands the meaning a balloon release can hold for a family remembering their loved ones. She did the same on her husband’s birthday. 

And, along with the Facebook posts, Buttrick said she plans to write Noah a letter, one he can read when he gets older to help understand the sweeping impact of his father’s story.

“Let them know that people care and their memories will go on forever,” said Buttrick.

While Kassandra Koontz could not be reached for this story, she spoke at Monday’s event about her motivation to move forward in the face of tragedy.

“The last year has been rough,” said Koontz. “I had to learn to live without my other half. I became a widowed single mother. I had to move forward on days when I did not want to. But I continued to move forward to honor Carl and so Noah knows how great his dad was.”

Koontz also addressed the inevitable conversations she will have with her son about Carl Koontz’s death – interactions that, while difficult and emotional, will also be accompanied by expressions of support from around the country.

On Monday, Koontz continuously thanked her family’s supporters for their actions, which have included the renaming of a bridge near the Howard County Sheriff’s Department, multiple awards, a quilt made of police patches and more.

“It doesn’t necessarily make me nervous or scared,” said Koontz about talking with her son. 

“It makes me just think of what I’m going to tell him. I don’t ever want Noah to be afraid to hurt my feelings or make me upset if he comes and asks. I want to be able to have that open communication with him about this.”

Myers writes for the Kokomo, Indiana Tribune.