Cashton Pressley was the son of Ethan Pressley and Avia Ramos. He was born on April 4, 2024, with a rare medical anomaly. His 13th chromosome was partially missing. This is an extremely uncommon condition. Cashton Pressley was the only known child with this disorder to survive beyond birth.

In his short life, Cashton faced many medical complications. Most of his first year was spent at a hospital to treat his different conditions.

The family received a large outpouring of support from the local community. Cashton’s father, Ethan Pressley is the president of the Rollin’ Out Creations (ROC) truck club. The group helped raise funds for Cashton and rallied for him once again for his celebration of life held on Sunday.

Cashton’s celebration of life was held at the Royal Oaks Center in New Ulm to accommodate the volume of people in attendance.

Mollie Meyer, Godmother to Cashton Pressley, prepares to fly a kite in his honor at Hermann Heights Park. During the celebration of life for Cashton, Meyers said “Life is not about how long we have, but how brightly we shine while we are here.”

Cashton was not expected to survive to his first birthday. He was the baby who refused to give up, his mother Avia Ramos said. His struggle inspired many in the community to reach out to support the family.

“Seeing this room full shows how many people came together to support this family,” Minnesota Valley Funeral Home director Eric Warmka said.

Reverend Chris Meyers provided the eulogy during Cashton’s celebration of life.

“From the moment he arrived, Cashton’s life was marked by struggle and resilience,” Meyers said. “I believe he came into this world with a purpose. Though Cashton’s life was short, he impacted so many. It is truly amazing how many lives he touched in 17 months.”

Cashton’s grandfather, William Wells, said Cashton served his purpose in bringing a community together. Wells said two years ago he would not have known many of the people gathered for the celebration of life.

Ethan Pressley (left) and Avia Ramos (right) help get kites into the air to honor their 17-month-old son Cashton Pressley who died on Sept. 14.

“The support we got from this community gives me hope,” Wells said.

“Life is not about how long we have, but how brightly we shine while we are here,” said Cashton’s Godmother, Mollie Meyers.

Cashton’s mother Avia Ramos closed the celebration of life saying, “We should have had a lifetime with him, but we only had a few precious moments,” she said. “But he gave us love and that has changed us forever.”

Immediately following the celebration of life, a procession was led through New Ulm along all of Broadway. Those in the procession were encouraged to let their vehicle pipes be heard to honor Cashton, who enjoyed the sound of trucks. His parents believed he liked the rumbling feeling of the vibrations. The procession wanted to give him that feeling one more time. Many were driving modified vehicles for the occasion.

The procession traveled Highway 14 through New Ulm, starting at 20th South Street to the roundabout at North Highland Avenue. From Highland Avenue, the procession traveled back to Center Street, concluding at Hermann Heights Park.

Wells said seeing the lights from his grandson’s processions stretching down Broadway was an impressive sight. The volume of vehicles participating gave him hope.

In Hermann Heights Park, surrounded by dozens of trucks, Cashton’s father, Ethan Pressley, revved the engine of his truck carrying Cashton’s casket for a solid minute.

“I was ready to blow out the motor for him,” Pressley said. He said there was fluid leaking from this vehicle after, but said it was something to fix later.

The celebration of life concluded with friends and family flying kites in Cashton’s over Hermann Heights Park after sunset.

Cashton’s mother Avia Ramos thanked the community for their support throughout her son’s life and for the continued support after.

“It makes us feel good to see all the people who showed up for Cashton,” said. “It helps to know he meant a lot to everyone.”