"The ballpark was his happy place": Wheelchair-bound with Cerebral Palsy, Chiefs fan leaves his mark, and his ashes

Aug. 14--PEORIA -- Chris Bolander was between the pitcher's mound and home plate at Dozer Park one last time this summer, a happy place for the Peoria Chiefs biggest fan, from where he often threw out the ceremonial first pitch during a lifetime rooting for the Midwest League team.

This time, it was goodbye.

Free at last from the wheelchair to which he'd been bound for a lifetime by Cerebral Palsy, his body now reduced to ash and contained in small vials clutched by his parents as they called his name and then hurled him into the air, gentle breeze scattering him to a final place on the turf where he'd watched so many of his heroes play.

This was the first such ceremony ever permitted at Dozer Park, reserved for someone who was 2 years old when he attended his first Chiefs game, and saw hundreds more as he grew from toddler to teen to adult over 34 years.

Barb Bolander, his adopted mother, broke down in tears, consoled by former Chiefs president and minority owner Rocky Vonachen and Chiefs general manager Jason Mott.

"The last game he ever saw was the final game of the 2019 season," Barb Bolander said. "No one knew then what that would mean. When the 2020 season was canceled (by the COVID-19 pandemic) he was so profoundly sad.

"And then he was gone."

Chris Bolander died from natural causes at age 36 on June 26 in Washington, two days after what would have been the 2020 Midwest League All-Star break.

He never could speak, with the exception of one word. His communication was through hand gestures and blinking. Yet he thrived in Special Olympics, throwing baseballs and bowling. And he connected with the Chiefs.

His journey started in Baton Rouge, La., where he was born to a mother who had a drug and alcohol addiction. He arrived in the world with Cerebral Palsy.

Enter Barb and Joe Bolander. She, a former certified nurse's assistant at Proctor Hospital and later a home health care nurse and a bus driver shuttling special needs kids. He, a retired Caterpillar worker.

Both now 76, they have four children, 15 grandchildren, 36 great-grandchildren and seven great-great grandchildren.

And for many years, they had Chris Bolander. "His family wanted to go on vacation when he was 2, but his care was so involved they couldn't take him along," Barb Bolander said. "We wanted to be foster parents for special needs kids, and the social worker brought us to meet him. We were only supposed to have him for two weeks. But I walked in and saw him rolling around on the floor, busy as can be. Our eyes met, and there was so much there. Right away, I knew he was going to be mine. I told the social worker, 'He's going home with us.' "

They started bringing him to Chiefs games and, three years later, at age 5, the Bolanders adopted Chris.

The Cubs and Cardinals moved in and out and back in again as big-league parent clubs of the Chiefs as the years went by.

Chris Bolander and his parents never wavered, fixtures at the Chiefs' old ballpark on Nebraska Avenue, then later, at the new downtown park when it opened in 2002. Their territory was Section 109, Row 18, Seats 1, 2 and 3. Later, after park renovations, it was Section 105, Row 18, seats 5, 6, and 7.

Players would come up to see him. Managers, too. He died with a neatly-preserved bedroom full of autographed bats and balls, team posters, every bobblehead the Chiefs gave away, and a picture signed by Mark Grace, framed on the wall above his bed.

"I don't think who the Chiefs parent club was at any particular time mattered to him, although if he had to pick he was probably slightly more a Cardinals fan," Bolander said. "He just loved the guys on the field, loved the Chiefs. His favorite player was Albert Pujols. He made friends with Ryne Sandberg. The Sandberg family would bring him up to their suite at Dozer Park on rainy nights. We'd go to all the booster club dinners with the team. Players would come up to see him. We even took him to a Chiefs road game at Burlington (Iowa).

"And he loved Pete Vonachen. Pete was his best friend. He spent time with him at every game."

When the iconic Chiefs owner died in June of 2013, the Bolanders brought Chris to Vonachen's visitation.

"Chris communicated with hand gestures or by blinking," Barb Bolander said. "So he started to make sounds at the visitation, and I tried to explain to him that we had to try to be quieter.

"Rocky Vonachen, Pete's son, said 'That's OK, he's just saying hello to his friend.' "

Rocky Vonachen and Mott participated in the farewell ceremony for Bolander a few weeks ago at Dozer Park, both scattering vials of his ashes.

"The ballpark was his happy place," Vonachen said. "Chris and his family have been season ticket holders for so many years. You just expect to see him there. He will be missed for sure."

Said Mott: "It was emotional for us to say goodbye. Chris Bolander was a part of the Chiefs family, and always will be."

Indeed his headstone, under which his remaining ashes lay at rest, have baseball bats crossed with a ball in the top left corner and a glove with a baseball in the right corner.

And at the bottom is inscribed: "Peoria Chiefs fan."

And the only word he was able to speak in his lifetime, well, that's inscribed in Barb Bolander's heart.

"He said it to me, the only word he could speak, so I'll always remember it," Barb Bolander said.

"Mom."

Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. Reach him at 686-3206 or deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @icetimecleve.

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