'Forever in our hearts'
Country Neighbors 4-H Club honors Addy Kiehl at the Isabella County Fair
Bright teals and purples can be seen all over the Isabella County Fairgrounds, in the forms of bandanas, pins, bracelets and more. These were the favorite colors of 9-year-old Adeline "Addy" Ruth Ann Kiehl.
Kiehl, of Alma, died from injuries sustained in a house fire in June. Her stepfather, Arjay Buckner, and sister, Kinsleigh Buckner, also died in the June 5 fire.
The annual Isabella County Youth and Farm Fair honored Kiehl this year, as she was an avid member. This would have been her first year qualified to show an animal on her own, which would have been her cow, Oliver, and chickens.
4-H has a program, Cloverbuds, for kids under 8 to learn how to show and participate, with a little extra guidance. Kiehl was going to be out of Cloverbuds this summer.
She was part of the 4-H club Country Neighbors, led by Karl & Jennifer Geiger.
“She was just a bright, lively little girl," Jennifer Geiger said. "She was just a bright light wherever she crossed."
She did not just know Kiehl as part of her club, however.
“I’ve known Addy’s family since before she was born, and then they joined our 4-H club and I’ve been her leader for the last several years,” she said.
The Country Neighbors Club dedicated their time and efforts to honor Kiehl as much as they could.
Country Neighbors 4-H Club leader Jennifer Geiger wears a ‘Forever in our hearts’ pin honoring Adeline “Addy” Kiehl at the Isabella County Fair at the Isabella County Fairgrounds, Monday, July 21, 2025. All members of Country Neighbors received a pin to celebrate 9-year-old Kiehl, who died from injuries sustained in a house fire in June. (CM-Life | Jo Kenoshmeg)
"Our club, Country Neighbors, is wearing pins that say ‘Forever in our hearts’ with Addy’s picture from last year’s … fair," Jennifer Geiger said. We’re all honoring her this year."
“We also have bracelets that we are selling, and all money from the bracelet sales will go to the family," she said.
The bracelets are being sold for $1 all week in Barn A, where the Geigers have a bee table.
Kiehl was going to be showing her dairy feeder calf, Oliver, this year. Since she can't be in the show and auction rings, family and friends have stepped in.
Rory Stoudt, 8, took on the immense responsibility of showing Kiehl's cow Monday. Stoudt worked with Oliver for two weeks, to prepare for their class.
“At first, he was not walking at all, but now he’s walking, so it was kind of a struggle," Stoudt said. "It’s getting better.”
She said she and Kiehl knew each other most of their lives, and they were best friends who danced and were in 4-H together.
“We had so many memories together,” Stoudt said. “The last memory I had with her was at the tractor pull in Shepherd.”
While in Cloverbuds, Kiehl got to show 17-year-old Jailyn Bradbury's cow, and Stoudt got to show on behalf of 19-year-old Kendell Wilcox.
“She was just so sweet; she had such a kind heart,” Bradbury, president of Country Neighbors, said of Kiehl. “She knew my cow for a week and a half last year and was so upset when he left.”
Wilcox, a member of Country Neighbors, had a cow named Diablo, whom Kiehl called 'Baby Baby' because of his size.
“She had such a way with her animals, even with her dairy feeder this year," Wilcox said. "No one could get that thing to walk after she passed except for Miss Rory. (She) is the only one who seems to get it to move, so something special is going on there.
“It’s such a hard time for the family right now, so raising awareness and raising money is such a help to them,” Wilcox continued. “This week alone is super hard for the family ... because this is something that Addy looked forward to every year. … All the support from the community and all of the support we’re seeing from people who didn’t directly know her means a lot.”
The fair has scheduled fundraisers to help the Kiehl family, alongside the ongoing bracelet sales. At 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the small animal barn, Kiehl's chicken pen will be auctioned as part of the small animal auction. At 6 p.m. Thursday in the livestock pavilion, Oliver will go up for auction.
Proceeds of the sales will go to the Kiehl family.
"Please support the Kiehl family and help them raise some money because they really need it,” Stoudt said.
