Love Like Bentley Wolfe

CHRISMAN—In small towns, people often say everyone knows everyone. But in moments of tragedy, those connections become something deeper. That spirit filled the Chrisman High School gymnasium on Friday, March 6, as hundreds of friends, classmates, teachers, coaches and neighbors gathered for a prayer vigil honoring Bentley Kahne Wolfe, a Chrisman High School sophomore whose life ended far too soon after a tragic accident earlier that week.

Wolfe, a Georgetown Buffalo baseball player and Chrisman Cardinals basketball player, was struck by a baseball during Georgetown’s first baseball practice on Monday, March 2. The impact caused a severe brain bleed that left the teen fighting for his life in the days that followed.

On March 4, two days after the accident, Wolfe’s mother, Samantha Simpson, revealed the moment her world changed.

“My life has shattered right before my eyes,” she wrote in a message shared on Facebook. “My Bentley, our Bentley, is on life support and it's not looking good.”

Yet even then, she spoke about the comfort she found in the support from friends, neighbors and even strangers.

“The outpouring of love from literally multiple towns, my friends, my family, people I haven't talked to in a while, complete strangers, has been overwhelming to say the least,” she said. “But knowing my boy is so loved brings so much joy to this broken heart.”

She also shared a message that quickly spread through the community.

“His friends have started the #LLBW: Love Like Bentley Wolfe,” she said. “And if you ever met this boy, you know when he loves, he loves hard.”

Despite the prayers of a community that refused to give up hope, Wolfe passed away on Friday, March 6. “Never ever did I ever expect to be saying this,” Simpson said. “Bentley Kahne Wolfe has entered heaven where I know so many had open arms waiting on him.”

Her message ended with the same sentiment that has since echoed throughout the community.

“If everyone loved and saw the world like Bentley, it would be such a better place,” she said. “So make that your goal.”

Even in the midst of unimaginable heartbreak, Wolfe’s story instills extraordinary generosity and a lasting legacy. He was an organ donor, and his final act on earth was one of life-giving compassion.

“Your Georgetown Buffalo Baseball Player #1 and Chrisman Cardinals Basketball Player #24 successfully completed his last mission here on earth by donating his heart, lungs, liver, kidneys and pancreas,” Simpson shared. “Bentley Kahne Wolfe will forever live on in others and in our hearts. His light will never go out. What a true HERO I get to call my son!”

Inside the Chrisman High School gym on March 6, the glow of hundreds of phone lights illuminated the room as the community gathered to pray and support Bentley’s family. Friends and neighbors were encouraged to bring their hearts, their prayers and their phone lights as a symbol of hope.

The evening began with words from local pastor and bus driver Troy Warner, who acknowledged the difficulty of trying to explain tragedies like these.

“Thank you for being here tonight,” he told the crowd. “We gather with heavy hearts as we remember Bentley Kahne Wolfe. We have come tonight because we're Chrisman. That's what we do. We've come to surround his family with love and support.”

Warner spoke honestly about the questions that arise in moments of loss.

“I know a lot of people like to ask the preacher if they know the answer,” he said. “And I can tell you, I don't know it. I don't know why.”

Still, he reminded those gathered that faith and community offer strength when answers cannot be found.

“I do believe that God is our refuge and strength, and he's very present in times of trouble,” Warner said. “But what matters most of all is that we stand together as a community, and that we lift this family up in our prayers, with our compassion and in strength.”

He recalled seeing Wolfe often, sometimes at church with his grandparents, sometimes around school or traveling with teams, and one thing always stood out.

“I never had a time when I didn't see a smile on his face,” Warner said. “Wherever I saw Bentley, he had a smile on his face.”

The pastor also spoke about Wolfe’s final act of generosity.

“Bentley was an organ donor, and so they’ve had to stay longer than maybe he wanted to stay,” he said. “But I’m sure that he wanted to help anybody he could help.”

During the vigil, Simpson remotely thanked the community for the overwhelming support her family had received.

“Thank you, everyone, for being there for Bentley,” she said. “The love and support are really helping all of us. Please, please, please love like Bentley did. Because if everyone can do that, the world would be such a better place.”

One of the most emotional moments of the vigil came when Brandy Meeker, the mother of the Georgetown player who hit the baseball, stepped forward to speak. Her voice trembled as she introduced herself to the crowd.

“A lot of you do not know who I am,” she said. “I’m a mother from Georgetown High School, and unfortunately, Monday night when this incident happened, my son was the one who hit the baseball.”

She explained how the accident had also devastated her family.

“Our life is turned upside down just as much,” Meeker said. “I want them all to know how much I’m truly, truly sorry, and my son is just devastated.”

She ended with a heartfelt message directed to Wolfe’s loved ones.

“I just want his family and his friends and anybody that loved that little boy to know that we’re right here with him, and we love you,” Meeker said. “We’re so sorry.”

Other community members who spoke during the vigil reflected on how tragedies like this reveal the strength of small towns.

“Everybody says that small towns are not the place to raise kids,” one speaker said. “This right here is a prime example that they are the place to raise kids.”

The speaker pointed to the countless acts of kindness and support that have emerged in the days since the accident.

“The outreach, the T-shirts, the bracelets, the cards, the texts. Everybody is just willing to help wherever they can,” the speaker said.

Another community member encouraged those gathered to help preserve Wolfe’s memory by sharing their personal stories with his family.

“If you have something in a story that you want to write down about Bentley, write it down and send it to the family,” the speaker said. “There may be a story they don’t know about.”

Support for Wolfe’s family quickly spread beyond Chrisman.

Schools throughout the region found ways to show solidarity with the grieving community. Kansas CUSD 3 asked students and staff to wear green on March 6 to show support for Chrisman.

“Acts of kindness and solidarity remind others that they are not alone,” Kansas Jr./Sr. High School Principal Tiffany Huisinga wrote to families.

Paris District 95 and Crestwood schools also shared messages of condolence on March 7, encouraging students and staff to wear red or black in remembrance of the Chrisman student.

Athletes across the area honored Wolfe as well. On March 5, members of the Chrisman seventh-grade volleyball team asked spectators at their regional championship game to wear green in his honor. Crestwood eighth-grade volleyball players later wore green ribbons in their hair during regional play.

Local businesses also found ways to help Wolfe’s family. The Fizz Soda Shop & Eatery announced on March 6 that it would donate all profits from two drinks, including Bentley’s favorite drink, the “Shark Attack,” to his mother.

“While we didn’t know Bentley personally, it’s clear he was the sweetest, kindest and most loving boy,” the business shared in a message. “Let’s continue to love like Bentley.”

One of the most visible tributes to Bentley’s life has been the phrase that quickly spread across social media and throughout the community: LLBW — Love Like Bentley Wolfe.

Friends and classmates began sharing the message as a way to honor the kindness and enthusiasm Wolfe showed to those around him.

Students in the Chrisman High School FBLA chapter turned that message into action by launching a fundraiser to support Bentley’s family. On March 5, the organization announced the sale of “Love Like Bentley Wolfe” shirts designed in partnership with Bentley’s family and friends.

“These shirts were designed to celebrate his spirit and the impact he has on all of us,” the group shared.

All proceeds from the shirts, window decals and monetary donations will go directly to the Wolfe and Simpson family.

“Wear your shirt as a reminder to lead with kindness and Love Like Bentley Wolfe,” the group said.

Shirts may be ordered at https://bit.ly/LLBW2026 with pickup available at Chrisman High School or Georgetown Ridge Farm High School. Additional questions regarding t-shirts may be directed to Chrisman FBLA Advisor Jamie Stokes (stokesj@chrisman.k12.il.us).

Though Wolfe’s life ended far too soon, his legacy continues to ripple through the community in remarkable ways.

His organs will give others the chance to live. His smile and kindness remain etched in the memories of friends, teammates and teachers. And his mother hopes the message born from this tragedy will guide others long into the future.

“My second request is to love like Bentley Wolfe,” Simpson said. “He loved hard, never had a regret because he lived every day to the fullest, put a smile on someone’s face just like he did, and never forgot to tell someone you love them and never take them for granted.”

A phrase that began as a tribute from friends has now become something more: a promise to live with the same kindness, compassion and joy that Wolfe shared so freely.

Love Like Bentley Wolfe.