A man called the “Human Etch-A-Sketch” was in Pella this week to honor a young child killed in a sledding accident.

Rik Zortman of Coralville, Iowa, runs in communities using GPS to write the names of children who die young, mainly from cancer, after losing his own son Armstrong over a decade ago.

On Thursday, Zortman honored Milly Rose Zellmer, a Lincoln Elementary Student who died on Thursday, February 16th after the Pella Police Department says she was hit by a truck when she entered the roadway on a sled near the intersection of West 4th Street and Fountain View Drive. This was the 163rd community Zortman has run in and his first visit to Pella, and that was 1,150th day in a row he has run and 1,601st unique name he has honored in this way.

The Zellmer family shared a touching tribute to her life in an obituary ahead of services celebrating Milly. A Celebration of Life is being held today at Third Church in Pella.

Learn more about how Zortman has honored children across the state of Iowa here.