Chace Michael Fromwiller
December 15, 2009 ~ September 11, 2023
Resided in:
Springvale, Maine
Chace Michael Fromwiller, 13 of Springvale, gained his angel wings on Monday, September 11, 2023, in the loving presence of family and friends.
Born in Sanford on December 15, 2009, to Michael and Bethany (Bourgoin) Fromwiller, Chace was an embodiment of energy and enthusiasm in the Springvale community. As an 8th grader at Sanford Middle School, his infectious spirit left an indelible mark on many.
Always friendly and outgoing, Chace had an innate ability to form instant connections. It wasn’t unusual for him to meet a new friend and hit it off right away, inviting them to hang out and have sleepovers immediately after meeting them. His interests were diverse, from sports such as football, basketball, skiing, front yard whiffle ball, and snowmobiling to his avid passion for Star Wars, Marvel, horror movies, and video gaming sessions on his computer and PS5. He could often be found staying up late into the night playing online with his friends.
In January 2022, Chace confronted a formidable adversary - DIPG, an aggressive form of childhood brain cancer. This was the beginning of a courageous battle waged by Chace and his family. Unwaveringly brave, he faced numerous medications, treatments, medical procedures, chemotherapy sessions and 102 rounds of radiation, all without ever yielding to despair. He faced each challenge with optimism and a positive attitude that served as an inspiration to those around him. Chace may not have had a lot of years in his life, but he definitely put a lot of life into his years. His spirit and zest for life led him to experiences many only dream of. He was elected to serve as honorary captain of both the Sanford High School football and basketball teams and was made an honorary player for a game from the Maine Celtics. He took trips to Disney World, Hawaii and was even able to go swimming with dolphins in Florida. He enjoyed visits to different zoos and aquariums and had the great honor of throwing out the first pitch at a Boston Red Sox Game at Fenway Park.
Chace's heart was full of compassion. His bond with his siblings was unshakable, and his love for family was unparalleled. He was happy doing just about anything as long as he had a friend or family member to do it with. Chace will be remembered for his outgoing and friendly demeanor, his love for others and his positivity. The courage and fortitude that he displayed throughout his illness was an inspiration to those around him. He will be dearly missed by all of his family and friends.
Chace's memory is cherished by his parents, Michael and Bethany Fromwiller of Springvale; three siblings, Gabrielle Bickford of Dover, NH, Carson Bickford of Sanford and Leyton Bickford of Springvale; his grandparents Brian and Barbara Fromwiller of Springvale, Vickie Gamache and her partner Ray Slaugenhoup of Springvale and Bryant and Susan Bourgoin of Winslow; aunts and uncles, Alison and Brian Gooding of Acton and Amanda Wells and Kevin Do of Sanford; Many other aunts, uncles, cousins, extended family members and friends—including his best friends, Dominic, Andrew, Brandon and Gavin.
A celebration honoring Chace's life will be held on Monday, September 18th from 3:00 to 8:00 PM at Barn Lights, 189 Hopper Road, Acton. Attendees are requested to wear blue as a tribute to Chace at this open house, casual gathering.
For those wishing to extend their condolences, consider a memorial contribution to Frommie’s Fight Foundation, assisting DIPG patients and their families in the New England region. Donations can be sent via Venmo @frommiesfightdipg or by check to: Frommie’s Fight, PO Box 554, Springvale, ME 04083.
Chace's family extends their heartfelt gratitude to everyone - the medical professionals, friends, and the greater community at large, for their unwavering love and support during his illness. Their kindness is a testament to the profound impact Chace had on all of those around him. This support means more to them than words could ever express and they will remain eternally grateful.
Arrangements are under the direction of Black Funeral Homes and Cremation Service, Sanford-Springvale.
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I’m Kalyssa’s mom
My you rest in peace sweet boy 💙 The Allens 💙
Kind, Helpful. Smart.
Sending love to you all
Sending all my love from Boston!
You are all in my thoughts. Hold on to the wonderful memories Chace brought to this world. They will forever live in our hearts.
I love you so much and miss you more than anything. You and your family did not deserve such a tragedy.
He was so fearless and was so strong when faced with tough times. Though it was hard for others, and most definetely himself, he kept his head high and never let go of positivity.
Chace was an amazing person full of enough brightness to light the world. He will be greatly missed, but his memory will live on through his family, friends and community that pulled together to support him throughout his fight. My thoughts and prayers go out to Beth, Mike, Gabby, Carson and Leyton 💙
The amount of love and respect i have for chace and his family is so great, him and his family have always been there for me and my friends. it’s something i’ll never forget💙
Fun, loving and an amazing friend to all.
Friend of his loving Parents and had the pleasure of watching him grow up in our neighborhood.
He loved to knock on your door and run away. It was fun to watch him and his friends sprint off with such enjoyment.
We will always remember you Chace for your strength and joyful heart. The world lost an amazing kid and we will forever keep you in our hearts. RIP Chace.
Fly high Chace! 🪽🪽 I met you only a few times but you were always so sweet and always kept such a great energy. You are incredibly loved and will be truly missed by everyone you crossed paths with. Your strength, courage and love will never be forgotten. You’ll always hold a special place in all of our hearts. ❤️
Chace and his family are neighbors, and my son Cam and he were friend and playmates. There were lots of light saber battles, nerf gun wars, multi hour lego sessions, swimming, boating, rope swinging, cliff jumping, skiing, Funtowning, movie watching and of course video gaming.
One time we went to a park on a river, Cameron and Chace rented a pedal boat. The man renting the boat to them said, specifically, “Now don’t go to the roap swing!”. Both boys looked at each other and you just knew that was the first place they would go. Three hours later, long after the boat was due back to the dock, the boys get towed back to shore by a motor boat. Not only did they go to the roap swing, but the boat broke there!
The first time Chace skied down a steeper section of the run Middle Gunsmoke, his first time going up to the top of the mountain at Gunstock, he was so excited at the bottom he was pumping his fists up in the air and smiling and laughing, ski poles flying all around. One of my favorite moments of skiing, ever.
My entire heart goes out to a family that I would consider as my own, love each and everyone of you guys. 💙
may chace rest in peace
I attended many of the dinners at New Beginnings and it made me smile when he threw out the first ball at the ball game
Boston Celtics
I had the pleasure of meeting the family on their way to a Celtics game. I’m heartbroken as I was working on doing again after seeing the smiles on everyone’s faces. Cherish the memories. I only met Chase for a brief moment but he touched me in a way that hurts right now
I admired everything about him. I still do. He faced this nasty disease head on, and fought so hard. The fact whenever we’d see him, he had a smile on his face? That alone is admirable. We never heard him complain, he was still the chace we grew up with. Funny, goofy, loving chace. We miss you 💙
I remember a long time ago the Lanigan’s brought me over a few times and I really appreciated the time and memories that we made with chance
no matter of a bad situation he was in. He would always put a smile on are face.
Psalm 34:19
The most amazing funny and strongest child I’ve ever got the pleasure to know!
My whole heart goes out to the whole family living next door I got to see him grow up and his cousins and see you guys out there playing and loving every minute of it such a loving family! He grew up that way and he will be an amazing angel to us all! 💛💛💛💛
My best memory of chase is the day I spent with him his cousins and Anthony while they picked out fancy sparkling rocks next door from his grandparents. They had the best time so may smiles from those kids and I helped them get the really heavy ones and all of them ended up under Ken’s deck forever !!! 💛😘
Chase was the little boy riding his bike up and down the street almost always with a friend, or one of his brothers. I did not know him well but he was always smiling whenever I would see him.
So sorry for the loss of Chase he touched so many lives prior to his diagnosis and many more after. His courage and sense of humor will be remembered for a long time.
May your soul soar high above painless and free resting in so many hearts and minds for oh so many years to come!
Sending prayers for peace and comfort in this difficult time. I never met Chase, but over the year reading and seeing both Sanford & Noble families rallying together for him, has been inspiring. May you grieve and heal remembering all the special memories he left on this world. ❤️🌸
My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family
I don’t personally know chace but I have been following his journey and I graduated with his dad
You had great heart and spirt you will be missed
He was a warrior a true fighter
Chace was a 1 in a million always had a huge smile so full of life and loved his sports.Will never be forgotten
My son Anthony Fontaine from school sports.
Sending my condolences Love and support to The entire family during this difficult time.
As a young student, Chace was always smiling. He was liked and admired by everyone around him.
🙏💙
Through his Grandmother Barbara ♥️
So sorry for your family loss. No family should have to bury a child 💔. You were all strong and did all you could to make his last days in earth memorable. May peace be with you now and always. You will forever be in my heart ♥️
Rest in peace Chace 💙🩵 love the LaRoses
YOLO
You always make me smile and appreciate the small things. Strongest & kindest soul I have ever been around.
Dear Chace, May this light shine bright as a symbol of your kind heart, amazing courage and the best spirit anyone could ask for. You have touched many in a positive way and brought a community together that has created a lasting bond. You are so brave and a real true warrior. May your angel wings keep you safe and always flying high.
Chace, although I came from a completely different family and life, by marrying into the family, I got to have the same family name as you. I could not be prouder and more honored to be called a Fromwiller because of you. My biggest hope is that as I grow older, I can be even just half as amazing and absolutely wonderful as you are. I promise to try my best every day to make sure that I can live up to being a Fromwiller, just like you.
Thank you for the time I did get to spend with you. And when my time is up, I look forward to seeing you again.
Chace taught me how precious life is and how much we have to live for each moment. Although that sounds very trite, it’s true. I have a wonderful life and a wonderful family, and I often forget how wonderful they all are and take it for granted. Chace, through his short life, taught me through his sheer strength and courage that life can still be beautiful and worth fighting for. If he, of all people, can love life and still find joy, then God knows I can too.
I admired how kind and friendly he was to me and other people, and how contagious his happiness was. Even though I only got to know him for a short time, I am extremely grateful for all the times I did get to see him.
Although Chace only lived to 13 years old, he had courage, strength, and enthusiasm that many people will never acquire over a much longer life. Even though cancer ultimately had the upper hand in this battle, he never gave up fighting, and he always remained enthusiastic. My hope to anyone a century from today is that they will know Chace’s bravery and strength so that no matter what anyone might be going through, no matter how hard life might seem, Chace kept fighting until his very last breath. And if he can be willing to fight for life in spite of the circumstances, then anyone ought to be able to keep their head high and keep going.
Kind, funny, strong as hell, and a role model to us all.
Chace was my husband’s cousin, hence my cousin-in-law, so to speak. I only got to meet him a handful of times, but each time I was struck by his zeal for life and his infectious spirit. My only regret is that I had gotten to see him more.
Chace, thank you for the time you were here. You are missed dearly.
Chace, was such a beautiful soul and an amazing young person. He taught me what courage and strength mean. Will miss you dearly. With much love and respect,
Madeleine Gagnon
Forever in our hearts💙🙏🏻💙
I didn’t get to know Chace as long as most but I’m forever changed by meeting him. I met him the first time after doing a meal drop off
We are all so honored to have been in your life whether it was many years or a short time. Your missed so deeply already and that will only continue to grow.
His bravery and grace through out everything thrown his way. We have all learned a lot from such a young man
Chace was classmates with my son Carter in elementary and what should be their middle school years.
football and basketball.
by make people laugh.
to know he will always want to be your friend and make u laugh.
funny,smart strong.
how he knew how make people laugh.
he was my best friend since 7th grade.
how he always cared about people
he would always care even if you were mean.
always be kind even if someone mean to you
play football and basketball hangout with friends and family.
that i love him and miss him so much
how he was there when i was sad
football
always.
by always saying your mom
treat other the way you want to be treated
when we first met and he was goofy.
try to make friends
strong
i love u chance
hawil.
a funny story is when i liked someone he would go whoo someone you and he made me so emmared but ya i love chance so much.
how he would make frout of me when i liked someone
when he try jump scary me.
im so sorry for your loss chance was a great best friend im deeply sorry
My condolences to Chace’s family and friends. I can’t imagine your pain. Sending you Love and Hugs ❤️🙏
His smile lit up every room
The best little cousin I could’ve asked for.
To be a fierce warrior with a gentle heart.
Chace helped other people in our community by allowing his story to be shared. I learned about Chace’s battle with DIPG through a friend who shared their information to our church group.
My heart goes out to the family and community that has supported Chace and his warrior’s fight against this disease.
From Rosemary – all love and peace to Chase – who also struggle(s) with childhood cancer❤️
Always smiling and happy to be with his friends. Remarkable, strong & kind young man.💙🙏
I miss you chase. We might not have talked much. But you were the brightest kid in school. Your smile made everyone’s day.
Rest in peace Chace 💙 The McGraths
Chace was a remarkable young man who showed us all how to live life to the fullest. Praying for the Fromwiller/Bickford family 💙
He was always so kind and thankful.
Life will never be the same without you Chace. 💔
I’m his Grandmother
The Sweetest kid ever