Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Hundreds gather to mourn brothers who drowned in Pend Oreille River

Funeral attendants watch a video about the Grasser brother's, Isaac, 17 and Michael, 11 during their funeral in Coeur d'Alene on Thursday, Aug. 10, 2017. Both boys died in a drowning acident in the Pend Oreille River last week. (Kathy Plonka / The Spokesman-Review)

Hundreds of people gathered Wednesday at the Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course to mourn the loss of two young brothers who drowned last week in the Pend Oreille River.

Michael Grasser, 11, was killed while trying to save his 17-year-old brother Isaac Grasser from drowning while swimming in the river near the Morton Slough boat launch area in Bonner County on Aug. 1. Isaac Grasser was pulled from the water unconscious. He died in Kootenai Health days later on Aug. 4.

Pastor Richard Green of the North Idaho Church of God in Hayden led the crowd through prayer and singing several of the brothers’ favorite songs.

“In this difficult time, the heart looks for love, it looks for comfort,” Green said, speaking at an altar flanked by the two small coffins. “Their love for one another was very real. They were different, yet they complimented one another.”

The crowd also watched a video showcasing several photographs and videos of the two brothers and the Grasser family.

When the service ended, the two were buried in Athol, at the Mountain View Cemetery.

A GoFundMe fundraiser was opened for the Grasser family to help pay for medical and funeral costs.