Community remembers Peninsula athlete Caleb Wanaka, 17, who died in tragic accident
The Gig Harbor community mourned one of its own, 17-year-old Caleb Harlan Wanaka, at a memorial on Friday. The star athlete, beloved friend, and caring soul to those who knew him, passed away in a tragic accident two weeks ago.
As the sun grew low in the sky at the Peninsula High School baseball field where he once played, as many as 800 friends, players, family and community members remembered Wanaka as not just a good teammate, but a good person who was kind to all.
In an obituary published on July 9, and read at the memorial by faith advisor Johnny Pearson, the Wanaka family said that “our beloved son and grandson has passed into the heavenly realms at the age of 17, joining his mother, Jaimie.”
“Caleb was a young man who showed leadership, sportsmanship, and love to those he knew. His best friend was his father, Harley, and their shared passion for baseball was an inseparable bond.”
Wanaka, a star baseball and basketball player, died Jun 28 when the truck in which he was riding with five other teens hit a tree on the Key Peninsula. Three other teenagers suffered injuries in the crash.
Caleb Harlan Wanaka was born April 24, 2004. Besides his father, Harley Wanaka of Vaughn, he is survived by his grandparents, Jerry and Carmen Wanaka of Desert Aire, Grant County, Jim and Barbara Rogers of Gig Harbor; and his two brothers, Josh, of Enterprise, Ala., and Sean of Kent.
Internment was at Haven of Rest Cemetery.
Josh Wanaka was present at the memorial. He said “his heart aches for all of his friends.”
“This is a tragedy we don’t blame anybody for. We wish it hadn’t happened, but this is a time we have to come together.”
Narrows Baseball Club Coach Heath McLellan, whose son survived the accident, praised both Wanaka’s baseball and leadership abilities. He said Wanaka was someone he could count on to help the team, no matter what.
“The kid was tough, hardcore and he had a big heart,” McLellan said. “Caleb was a son to me.”
McLellan said that “off the field, he was an amazing young man” and someone who was a truly special teammate that would help to support his teammates.
“Caleb was larger than life,” McLellan said. “Caleb loved the game of baseball and each of you that he played with.”
McLellan called upon Caleb’s friends to help dispel any rumors that any drugs or alcohol were involved, encouraging the community to come together in a tragic time. A Pierce County Sheriff’s spokesman said June 29 there was no evidence the driver was impaired.
Peninsula baseball coach Michael Johnson said he was there to honor his former player that he only got to coach for a brief period of time due to COVID.
“I feel like I’ve known him so much more than these three years,” Johnson said. “I completely respected the person he was.”
Johnson said from his first year onward, Wanaka worked hard to earn a spot on the team. It was this effort that helped the team in state when they needed him most.
His coach recounted how he helped to turn a double play and get a lead-off hit.
“From that moment, this kid’s legacy was born,” Johnson said.
Johnson talked about how it was Wanaka’s sophomore season when everything had to shut down, but emphasized that didn’t stop his most committed player.
“The world went into quarantine, but Caleb did not,” Johnson said, telling of how Wanaka kept working hard on his game even with the world in crisis.
He called on Wanaka’s example and encouraged his players to attack each day with the same energy as their former teammate.
“Caleb was a special young man who I loved dearly,” Johnson said. “I’m going to miss our conversations about baseball and life.
“Most of all, I will be forever thankful for the time we did have together.”
Teammate Payton Knowles echoed that sentiment, saying Wanaka set an example for all of the team.
“Come game day, he was a force to be reckoned with,” Knowles said. “If he loved you, he would’ve risked his life for you and put everything on the line.”
Knowles said Wanaka’s heart was as big as his appetite, recounting how he could eat for two.
“He was one of the best humans I’ve ever come across in my entire life.”
Peninsula basketball coach Matt Robles shared how Wanaka was just as much a skilled athlete playing for him, even as it was his secondary sport.
“Baseball was his sport, but he was a really good athlete,” Robles said. “He was just this fiery, competitive young man.”
Robles said he watched him grow as an athlete, and it was “incredible to be a part of.”
“We’ll miss you, we love you,” Robles said. “Thank you Caleb.”
Wanaka’s girlfriend, Jilian Barncard, talked about the bond they shared through their faith and how supported she felt with him.
“He made me feel safe and secure,” Barncard said. “Caleb was my best friend.”
Barncard said she looked up to Wanaka, both literally and figuratively.
“He was the most selfless person I’ve ever met,” Barncard said. “Caleb was the person I was supposed to do life with. We had big plans together, and I’m devastated we don’t get to do them.”
Barncard said she will carry the love she had with Wanaka for the rest of her life.
“Being Caleb’s girlfriend was one of the best things I’ve ever done,” Barncard said.
Donations in remembrance can be made to Peninsula High School’s Caleb Wanaka Scholarship Fund at https://sway.office.com/bjhMMG8yBNKbGnjU?ref=email or via a mail donation to
PHS Baseball Boosters C/o Hope Brandt, CW Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 908, Wauna, WA 98395.
There also is the Caleb Wanaka Memorial Fundraiser at
https://sway.office.com/kxaynBZK2dUCjSBs?ref=email
This story was originally published July 10, 2021 at 5:30 AM.
