Cards, support offered to friend of Temecula boy who died in tunnel collapse

Temecula resident Chris Brown said his son Tyler is doing as well as can be expected after the loss of his friend and fellow James L. Day Middle School classmate Anthony Fowler.

James L. Day Middle School student Tyler Brown honors friend Anthony Fowler Monday night at Ronald Reagan Sports Park. (Stephanie D. Schulte/SWRNN)

The Brown family was among the hundreds who had gathered Monday evening at the North/South Fields at Ronald Reagan Sports Park to celebrate the life and mourn the passing of Fowler.

A local athlete, the event was hosted by Temecula Youth Baseball.

“There have been some rough moments,” Brown said.

Tyler was with Anthony, digging tunnels into a dirt embankment, when the tunnel collapsed and buried the boys earlier this month.

Despite Tyler’s efforts to dig his friend out with help from a passerby, Anthony’s injuries were too much to overcome. He was declared brain-dead on Feb. 13, leaving his parents with the agonizing decision to remove their son from life support.

Tyler escaped with relatively minor injuries.

“He had some bruising on his head and chest, some deep bruise pain, but otherwise he’s okay,” Brown said, adding that the emotional burden of losing his friend has been another story.

Brown said that friends and classmates have offered support to his son with signed banners and cards. And all of Tyler’s teachers have checked in and expressed concern for him.

“Every last one of his teachers have been amazing. I know he appreciates it. At the same time it’s a reminder to him (of what happened),” Brown said, adding that Tyler will return to school tomorrow.

While Brown said he plans to monitor his son’s emotional state, his family will continue to extend support and love to the Fowler family.

Brown said a fund set up in Anthony’s name is an option for anyone also wishing to reach out to the family. He said that he wants it to be clear that the fund will not be used to cover medical costs, rather establish a memorial fund in Anthony’s honor.

The Fowler family is giving thought to a proper memorial for their son.

Residents can donate to the fund through Wells Fargo with the account number of 9349493214, via Pal Pal (theorioncorp@gmail.com) or through regular mail addressed to Anthony Fowler Fund, P.O. Box 893522, Temecula, CA 92589.

Kerri S. Mabee can be reached at kerri.mabee@swrnn.com. Follow me on Twitter @kerrimabee.