Beso Family Remembers Late Visitor

Dozens of people lined the pier around sunset at on Nov. 18. They gathered to remember a , who passed away of cancer in August.

His grandparents, Dave and Lynn McConahay, who lease a home in Dunedin, were back in town to on the pier at the resort, where Jake's final wish was to vacation with his family. 

The memorial features a small statuette of a boy fishing, facing the sunset, and a wooden plaque that the family had made for the resort.

"To Our Beso Family In Memory of Jacob McConahay 2011," the plaque reads.

During his diagnosis Jake, 7, initiated a campaign to put Pillow Pets in the hands of sick children to help them feel better.

His goal was to have to the Indiana children's hospital where he received treatment. When he passed in August, 140,000 Pillow Pets had been donated to hospitals nationwide in his name.

Beso Del Sol staff lit the pier with strands of white Christmas lights as the sun began to sink into the horizon. They offered some words of remembrance and released two helium balloons. Visitors stood for some time reflecting as small white candles flickered. Visitors stayed on the pier for about a half hour, remembering, chatting and hugging or sharing stories with his grandparents.