Waylon James Fontaine, age 17 of East Bethel, passed away on Tuesday, November 12, 2019 at his home.

Waylon was born in Duluth, MN and lived in the Willow River area until his 7 ^th grade year when he moved to East Bethel and began attending St. Francis Middle School in 2015.  At the time of his passing he was in his Junior year at St. Francis High School. Waylon had many friends at both schools and never failed to help his fellow students and teachers find their smile by giving them one of his own.  Always caring and standing up for others was a huge part of his character.

Waylon loved his outdoor sports which included deer and duck hunting trips with his grandfather, uncle and friends.  His true passion was in his love of fishing.   Waylon enjoyed fishing all year round and was constantly trying to find ways to get out on the water to chase his favorite fish, bass and walleye.

His love of the outdoors was paralleled by his love of music and creating his own songs. He had such a tremendous talent and even developed the moniker, "Lil Fonty".  We believed and told him he had an exceptional talent and yearned for the day when he would realize his musical dreams.

His artistic talents did not stop with music, he was also exceptional at drawing and creating things of beauty from raw materials.  He was gifted mechanically as well, and knew the inner workings of his vehicles and took great pride in repairing and maintaining his cars.

He enjoyed longboarding around the neighborhood and area parks and would often go for long rides in the evenings.

We have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love being shown to Waylon over this past day. We had no idea how many lives he touched and how loved he was.  He will be forever missed, and we will always have a hole in our hearts over the dreams never realized by him. Rest well our son, brother, boyfriend, grandson, nephew, cousin, and friend.  Our lives have been forever changed by you and we yearn to be with you again one day.  Gone but never forgotten.

Waylon was preceded in death by his grandfather, Joe Fontaine and grandmother, Sharon Olson.  He is survived by his mother, Carrie (Jeff) Conner; father, Robert Fontaine (Nicole Stabs); siblings, Spencer and Joseph Fontaine, Kaitlyn and Michael Conner; grandparents, Cynthia and Joseph Vallie, Danny Olson, Patricia Alberg, Michael and Linda Conner; aunts, Nicole Olson, Brenda (Vern) Opitz, Penny (Rick) Holm, Holly (Carl) Knutson, Kelli Olson-Roseen; uncles, Eric (Carlee) Conner, Brian (Laura) Conner, Mitch Roseen; cousins, Nicole Zimmer, Trisha and Joshua Holm, Tara Halverson, James Durkin, Becky Brunette, Tyler Seigel, Brandon and Raymond Campos, Justin and Conner Devere, and Aiden Conner; girlfriend, Lydia Lund; also many other family members and friends.

A Gathering of Family and Friends will take place from 12 Noon - 2:00 p.m., with a time of sharing at 1:00 p.m., on Sunday, November 17, 2019 at The Courtyards of Andover, 13545 Martin Street NW, Andover.  Private Interment.

Arrangements entrusted to Thurston-DeShaw Funeral Home of Andover (763) 767-7373