Man dies on the day he was to be married

Family and friends gathered in Cashton to pay respects to a young man who died from injuries suffered in an accident on the day he was to be married.

Twenty-two-year-old Jacob Gronemus suffered third-degree burns over 75 percent of his body in a welding accident Oct. 1. He died Saturday at the University Hospital burn unit — the day he was to marry 19-year-old Ashley Kast.

The La Crosse Tribune reported tears turned to laughter Wednesday as family and friends shared their memories of Jake. Kast says it was a year ago that he proposed. She says they went squirrel hunting and she came back with a ring.

Jake’s family says he was a role model at home for his three younger siblings, at school and on the football field.