A Fort Collins Marine who died in a

car crash in Utah on Friday

Lance Cpl. Brennan Ching, 20, was stationed in Las Flores, California. The 2012 Rocky Mountain High school graduate had a habit of surprising his little brother, Alexander Vicary, 8. The two shared "a special bond," said the boys' mother Sue Vicary, of Fort Collins.

Ching taught his little brother how to tie his shoes, went fishing with him frequently and read to Alexander almost every night when he was home from the Marines.

"Every day, Alex would talk about Brennan, whether it was morning, noon or night," Vicary said. "At least two or three times, he'd create a new way of making a wish to bring him home. Brennan taught him the things only a big brother could do."

With almost every wish, Brennan would come home.

The Coloradoan featured Ching in a March 2013 story

"Everyone I talked to has read (the Coloradoan) story," Sue Vicary said. "I've had people coming to my door today who I've never met in my life ... They remembered the story."

Ching called his older sister, Sarah Ching, 23, Friday, to say he was planning another surprise. He wanted to take Alexander to his first day of second grade at Bauder Elementary School.

He planned the trip with his friend and fellow Marine, Jesus T. Paredes, 21, of Fallbrook, California. Ching was a passenger in the black Chevrolet pickup when it rolled about 6:30 a.m. Friday on Interstate 70. He was killed instantly.

The driver had run off the left side of the highway and overcorrected to the right, according to the Utah Highway Patrol.

Paredes was taken to Sevier Valley Medical Center in Richfield with leg injuries, according to UHP. "Both men were wearing seatbelts, but the passenger side of the truck received the most damage," the UHP reported.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

Alexander didn't know his brother was coming home to see him. Sue Vicary said he picked up a leaf after being told his brother died and made a wish that his brother would come back to him.

"All these times, he's believed and seen that his wishes would come true," she said. "But there's no amount of leaves he can pull to make that come true."

Alexander got on the bus and went to school like many other children in Poudre School District on Tuesday morning. Just before walking out the door, he turned to his mother.

"Wasn't Brennan supposed to take me to school today?" he asked.

"I said, 'Yes, but you know what? He still is," Sue Vicary replied. "He's right beside you. If you have a math quiz today, I betcha he'll help you with the right answer.' "

Brennan Ching's memorial service is 11 a.m. Aug. 26 at Faith Evangelical Church, 3920 S. Shields in Fort Collins. All who knew him or were touched by his story are welcome to attend.

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