Caden Benjamin George Baeumert

Over a decade later, those who were in attendance still talk about the little boy at the wedding reception. He was only six at the time.

Quiet and well behaved, Caden Baeumert sat virtually unnoticed though the marriage ceremony, but as soon as loud music started, he was first on the floor, all by himself. Then, he proceeded to dazzle the crowd with an array of perfectly choreographed dance moves he’d mastered.

Nobody had any idea he’d even been practicing.

Caden kept a lot of things to himself. He could build every Lego, charm temperamental cats and dogs that didn’t take to anybody else, and ace history trivia because of his insatiable appetite for documentaries on almost any topic.

He had a big heart and cared deeply about everyone, but especially his family.

“I love you,” he’d say, every time he walked out the door.

He also was a jokester – one of the funniest people you could hope to meet – yet only those closest to him saw that side of his personality. What he wanted, of course, was to be cool, not silly – and though he struggled, that was something he never quite managed to pull off. Eventually, however, he found his footing at a remarkable educational facility operated by the Gwinnett County public school system, GIVE Center East.

“With Caden, we witnessed a remarkable journey,” says Dr. Brandon Bell, the school’s principal in a letter of condolence from faculty and staff, “a student who was finding his way, showing maturity, and demonstrating he was truly on the right path.”

In the supportive environment of GIVE Center East, Caden thrived and became a proud member of a leadership and mentoring program for young men called the “R.A.R.E. Gs” – an acronym for Respectful, Accountable, Resilient, Educated Gentlemen and Scholars.

“Caden had begun to shine in ways that gave us so much hope,” the school’s letter continued. “He was embracing challenges, taking responsibility, and showing us glimpses of the bright future that was waiting for him.”

Caden graduated with the Class of 2025 last May, determined to leave his mark on the world and not only make his family proud, but also take care of them when he made it big.

“Just wait and see,” he’d often say to his mother, Erin Verville, as he walked out the door of her house.

It was a promise he fully intended to keep – but, last month, Caden’s life was cut tragically short just as it was really getting started, leaving a void in the hearts of those who knew and loved him.

“It is heartbreaking to lose Caden at this point in his journey,” say the teachers who knew him at GIVE East. “Yet, we want his family and friends to know that his progress did not go unnoticed. He was a young man of potential, someone who had begun to realize the power of his choices and the impact he could make.”

In fact, Caden touched lives beyond those who knew him – including some he quite literally saved.

For about three years, Caden worked as a lifeguard at the YMCA, where he learned advanced medical training, including certification in CPR and First Aid from the American Red Cross, and is credited with 15 “saves” – entering the water and using rescue techniques to prevent drowning.

“One of Caden’s saves was during a swim lesson I was teaching,” his mom recalls. “He jumped clear over my head into the water to rescue the swimmer. I’d never seen him rescue anyone before. I was so proud of how fast he reacted.”

After graduation, Caden set his sights on becoming a commercial welder. It’s a skill which requires comprehensive training and education, and after an interview, he’d been placed on the waiting list for an apprenticeship with McKenney’s Inc., a respected union contractor. In the meantime, had joined the family business, Commercial Installation Specialists, working hard as a mechanical contractor on various construction projects with his father and uncle.

“Because of that, he and I were on the road together a lot,” recalls his dad, Ben Baeumert. “We shared hotel rooms, many meals and movies, and talked about life, love, girls, his plans, and everything else under the sun. We spent more time together over the last weeks of his life than we had in a really long time.”

Caden was always looking for an opportunity to help, even when he wasn’t asked.

“If the trash had been taken out or the dishwasher emptied, Caden was probably the culprit, no matter how sweaty or dirty the job,” remembers stepmother Kristie Baeumert.

But he was eager to make his own way in the world, too, and already doing well enough to strike out on his own.

“He found a place, signed the lease, and away he went,” Erin Verville says. “I was scared to death, but he would always say, ‘Trust me, Mom. I got this.’”

With a friend sharing the rent as his roommate, Caden moved into his first apartment on August 1. He went to Ikea to buy furniture.

“He was becoming so grown up,” Ben Baeumert says. “He was bound and determined to stand on his own two feet. It made me so ridiculously proud.”

Caden was excited to be settling into adulthood – so much so that he almost missed one of the great experiences of his young life. Initially, he turned down an invitation to go deep sea fishing on a company trip with his father and uncle. However, he changed his mind at the last minute, saying it was a chance to do something “really cool” and spend “quality time” with family.

That day on the Atlantic, off the coast of Charleston, turned out to be a memorable adventure. Always quick to figuring out how things work, he took to fishing quickly – and as soon as something bit, he didn’t hesitate to grab one of the larger poles. After a fervent contest, the inexperienced fisherman reeled in a huge Redfish.

“He was incredibly proud,” recalls Ben Baeumert recalls. “He loved being out on the water and thoroughly enjoyed that day.”

Caden spent the rest of that week in Augusta at the home of his uncle J.D. and aunt Kim before returning to Lawrenceville on September 12, one day before he died.

The circumstances surrounding his death are unclear and remain under investigation by Gwinnett County detectives.

Often, he’d go for drives alone, listening to music while reflecting on the day and clearing his mind. That may have been what he was doing that Saturday night.

For some reason, not yet known, Caden stopped his Kia Optima on the side of a residential street in Lawrenceville, turned on the hazard lights, and got out of the car. Perhaps crossing the street, he was struck and killed by an oncoming vehicle.

Born on November 21, 2006, Caden Benjamin George Baeumert died at Northside Hospital Gwinnett on September 13, 2025. Ironically, not long before the tragedy, Caden had worked on a project at the same hospital, helping install equipment for the new food service facilities.

He was still 18.

Each year, GIVE Center East recognizes its graduating seniors with a breakfast – which from now on will be named in honor of Caden Baeumert, remembering him “a young man who made the best out of everything that GIVE Center East had to offer.”

Caden is survived and mourned by his loving mom Erin Verville, dad Benjamin Baeumert and bonus mom Kristie Baeumert, brothers and sisters Ashton, Kiryn, Hollis, Hudson, and Hadley, grandparents Hans Baeumert, Myron and Nancy Verville, and Mark and Debbie Burdett, as well as (by no means least of all) his beloved dogs Aries and Chaos. Aunts, uncles, and cousins live in Georgia, Arizona, Michigan, Germany, and England. He is preceded in death by grandmothers Millie Verville and Georgina Baeumert.

A Celebration of Life will be held for Caden at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, October 11, 2005, at “Vecoma at the Yellow River,” a venue located at 4400 Vecoma Lane, Snellville, Ga., 30039.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Caden’s memory may be made to the “R.A.R.E. Gs” the young men’s organization which played such an instrumental role in his life at GIVE Center East, 723 Hi Hope Road, Lawrenceville, Ga. 30043.