Max Aunese Death – The victim who drowned on Saturday, July 18, near Millersylvania State Park, has been identified by the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office as a former Timberline High Schools student, Max Aunese, 18, from Lacey.
According to Lt. Ray Brady, about 4:30 p.m. Saturday, deputies and an area fire department were dispatched to the 1600 block of Maytown Road Southwest, the location, which is near the park, is an old quarry pond that has become a popular swimming hole.
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According to Aunese friends, they swam across the pond and were returning when Aunese suddenly went under water. He was later found by his friends and brought to the shore.
They made attempts to resuscitate him which proved futile, says Brady.
An autopsy has been set for Monday, says the Thurston County Coroner Gary Warnock.
The tweet community sends in their condolences to the Timberline athletic community on Saturday via the accounts associated with Capital and Olympia high schools.
Timberline football coach James Jones said Aunes played receiver and free safety for the Blazers. He continues by saying Aunese will be remembered as a student-athlete who was relentlessly positive and optimistic — a team captain and leader.
“He’s a kid who’s walking after practice with a million-dollar smile,” says Jones.
“When things weren’t going the way we wanted, he’d pump everyone up, encourage others through whatever they were going through both on and off the field. Max was a great kid to get the attitude up. … He was a phenomenal human being.”
“When Timberline was losing at halftime or energy was low during a practice, Aunese would rally the team.”
“He was always a guy looking up, looking to the positive and with a smile and the true attitude behind it, even when things were tough for him,” says Jones.
Jones said he’d like to see Aunese No.13 jersey memorialized rather than retired — to have whatever player wears No. 13 in the future to have to earn it, embodying the things Aunese stood for: Positivity, hard work and leadership.
Jones says, “Whoever wears No. 13 is a kid who pumps everyone up, who is a program guy.”
“13 will be a number you have to earn. I think that’s the direction I want to go with the number.”
A Zoom call for the team will hold on Sunday evening, giving players a chance to talk through their feelings.
A gofundme has been set up for Aunese’s family.