Minnetonka father dies during Yellowstone family trip

MINNETONKA, Minn. (FOX 9) - Sometimes baseball is about more than hits, runs, and errors. On this night, it's a comfort in the midst of overwhelming grief.

"I would say crushed is the biggest feeling I've had all day long," said Megan Bonk of Minnetonka. "Our heart is in pieces on the floor and we are trying to pick them up and put them back together and it will never be the same again."

On Monday, Bonk was on a trip with her parents, her husband Geoff, and their two kids at Yellowstone when the national park was evacuated because of flooding. As they drove to their lodge to pick up their belongings, Bonk says Geoff had a medical emergency and died unexpectedly, she believes from a heart attack.

"I think he died in my arms. My kids saw that. We did what we could and at a certain point there was nothing else that could be done," said Bonk.

Since then, a GoFundMe to help the Bonk family cover expenses has raised nearly double its $10,000 goal, But Bonk says it's the words of encouragement from the Minnetonka community and beyond that mean the most during this difficult time.

"What people are doing right now is exactly what Geoff would want people to be doing, and it's absolutely amazing."

The Tonka Blue 11A travel baseball team is showing its support by wearing stickers with Geoff's initials on their batting helmets and Bonk says they will be her angels in the outfield from now on.

"We're so overwhelmed by not only the grief but the love and support we are getting, I can't wait to give this back to people when they need it."

Bonk says Geoff just turned 50 earlier this month and had no health problems they knew of.