Andrew Pasek, Eagle Scout killed during Hurricane Harvey, to have ashes spread at Mount Rushmore
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Hurricane Harvey revealed many heroes walking among us, but one man who died saving animals in the flood was already a hero to his family.
Andrew Pasek, 25, died from electrocution in the flooded Bear Creek 1 subdivision. He was returning to his sister's home to check on her cat. The family was forced to evacuate the home without time to take their pet with them.
Andrew used his final words to tell his friend Shawn to stay back.
"Don't touch me," Andrew reportedly told his friend. "I'm dying."
It was less than 24 hours after Andrew died when his mother, JoDell Pasek, spoke with ABC13 to spread the word about the unseen electrical dangers hiding beneath the floodwater.
A year later, the family is taking a trip that Andrew always dreamed of. They're going to Mount Rushmore to spread his ashes.
"He read a story about Mount Rushmore in the paper in 2008 and wanted to go ever since," JoDell said. "That was kind of on his bucket list and we were all going to go together."
The Paseks wondered if any of Andrew's friends may want to go and they were overwhelmed by the support.
"All his close friends said, 'We want to come' so we put something together. We're now at 20 people going," JoDell said.
As his friends and family plan to help Andrew take the trip he was unable to in life, many of the groups and organizations he was a part of chose to honor him in their own ways.
"It's been so heartwarming and heart-wrenching that so many people have honored him," JoDell said.
Sherwood Elementary and his Boy Scouts of America group honored Andrew for his heroic actions.
Andrew's high school, Westchester High in Houston, helped design a special bench to honor him. It's designed with things he loved like music, an Eagle Scout emblem, as well as his pets.
The University of Texas San Antonio also held a memorial service for Andrew.
The Citizens for Animal Protection and PETA have also awarded Andrew for his actions to help the trapped cat.
It's been a long year for the Pasek family. They've since moved to Virginia. It's something they planned before Harvey, but getting there took longer than expected.
In the midst of her grief, JoDell warned the public about the dangers of electricity, something she did to honor Andrew. The family says they're not finished helping others in Andrew's name.
In the wake of his death, his friends started a GoFundMe account to help the Pasek family. They're now using the more than $54,000 dollars in a charitable trust to help others.
