LAKE STEVENS — Jarom Luke Thomas was eager to figure life out on his own.
As a toddler he walked just one day before he decided to run. He didn’t care for naps. There was too much to do and learn. He taught himself to swim and ride a bicycle.
He may have overestimated his ability and know-how when it came to fixing cars and computers, but that didn’t stop him.
The 18-year-old was up at 6 a.m. on weekends, ready to take on the day. His years with Boy Scout Troop 187 led him to grand adventures in the outdoors — campouts, kayaking and hiking.
He asked tough questions and was comfortable explaining how he felt and what he thought in ways that seemed beyond his age, Tim Thomas said of his son.
Linda Thomas recalled fondly the four years her youngest was home-schooled and their talks about art, science, literature and history. He was a sensitive and generous child.
“He was like a warm blanket to a lot of people,” she said.
For the past three months Linda and Tim Thomas have been trying to make sense of their son’s death, given what they know about his life.
Jarom Thomas died Dec. 21 after he was punched in the face and hit his head on pavement outside a party near Lake Roesiger. Another teen eventually dropped him off at the Providence Regional Medical Center Everett’s emergency room and lied about what happened, saying Thomas had a seizure.
A police officer showed up on the Thomases’ doorstep at 2 a.m. They were told that their son had a seizure and died. He was alone when his parents reached him in the hospital. No one from the party was with him. The couple gathered his clothes and went home without him.
A Snohomish County sheriff’s investigation revealed that Thomas had agreed to be punched by Michael Galen, a classmate at Crossroads Alternative High School in Granite Falls. Detectives were told that the teens were settling a dispute over minor damage to a car.
In the end, prosecutors declined to file any criminal charges against Galen, 18, saying that given his age and life experience they didn’t believe that he would have known a single punch could kill Thomas.
The Thomases have waited until now to publicly talk about their son or his death, saying they first needed to get some solid answers from detectives. “We didn’t want to fuel anyone’s anger,” Tim Thomas said. “We just knew the story we had was incomplete.”
They have since learned that their son was backing his Honda Accord out of a steep, muddy driveway and knocked over a mailbox. The mailbox fell on a car that Galen was sitting in. Galen and the car’s 20-year-old owner drove around looking for Thomas and returned to the party when they didn’t find him.
The Thomases don’t know why, but Jarom went back a little while later.
At the party, he was confronted by Galen and car’s owner. Galen later admitted he had been drinking. According to toxicology reports, Jarom Thomas had not been drinking.
Until recently, the Thomases hadn’t known their son was outnumbered.
“It seems to me it was two angry boys who had been drinking and decided to teach Jarom a lesson,” Tim Thomas said. “The things we learned about that night validate and confirm Jarom was not at fault here. He was trying to escape the best he could from a frightening situation.”
The Thomases can understand why prosecutors didn’t file any charges but it is hard to accept that none of the partygoers are going to be held responsible for their actions.
“I don’t know what accountability would be. What we have isn’t it,” Tim Thomas said.
Their son made a bad choice and shouldn’t have been at the party, the Thomases said. Police reported alcohol and marijuana was being widely used.
From what they’ve been told by a sheriff’s detective, several teens behaved in ways that, nevertheless, are hard to comprehend. Why didn’t anyone call 911? Why did kids lie about what happened? Why didn’t anyone stay with him at the hospital?
“I want to hear the truth from people,” Tim Thomas said. “ I want to leave an accurate reflection of who Jarom was.”
His youngest child was born April 1, 1996, in Everett. He was named after Jarom, the author of the shortest book in the Book of Mormon. Jarom was “a real solid guy,” Linda Thomas said.
Their newborn came home to two brothers, Tyler and Corey, and sister, Brynnelle.
He attended elementary school in Lake Stevens through fifth grade, and then was home-schooled until the tenth grade. He asked his parents about transferring to Crossroads, where one of his friends was going. He had talked of joining the military or attending a trade school to land a job at Boeing or Microsoft. He was about three weeks away from earning his diploma when he died.
Thomas joined the Boy Scouts when he was 8 through the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Chapel Hill Road in Lake Stevens.
“The boys went to Sunday school and then Scouts meetings,” Tim Thomas said. He was set on earning more merit badges than his dad or brother. He also grew to appreciate the outdoors.
He was a skinny kid despite his diet of the cereal and pizza rolls. At 6 feet 1, he towered over the rest of his family.
He took up longboarding and snowboarding, the same as his big sister. She liked sharing some of her hobbies with her youngest brother, Brynnelle Thomas said.
“It was always easy to talk to him,” she said.
Tim Thomas appreciated how willing his son was to talk to him about life. One of their last serious discussions happened in the garage. Tim Thomas was puttering around and his son came in to clean out the cat box, one of his chores. It was obvious he was upset and he started to cry.
A girl had said something that hurt his feelings. They talked it out, agreeing that there were no easy answers.
Since his death they have heard from his teachers, classmates and his friends’ parents. They’re comforted by the stories. They match what they know of their youngest.
They learned he often drove friends to school and even took some of their parents to work. It makes sense now why he was always asking for gas money.
They were touched by the people who came to his memorial service and by the notes and cards they wrote to the family.
Linda Thomas can only bring herself to read one every Sunday. Her husband isn’t ready. They find themselves in his room when they need to feel close to him. He had done his laundry the day before his death. His scent is fading.
“I wait to hear the keys in the door or his car in the driveway,” Linda Thomas said.
He was an 18-year-old kid trying to sort through life, his dad said.
“He was figuring it out,” Tim Thomas said. “The big things in life — how to treat people, the importance of values — Jarom got those right.”
Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @dianahefley.
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