“It felt like I lost my child again,” said Beth Ann Henning, describing how she felt when she found out that a memorial to her son Austin and his friend Max Williams on a cliff at Black Beach had disappeared.
On June 25, 2023, the two 18-year-olds from Inver Grove Heights were on a celebratory trip on the North Shore after graduating from Simley Senior High School. From atop a cliff near the beach, they made the unfortunate choice to try cliff diving into Lake Superior and drowned before help arrived.
On the first anniversary of the tragic drownings, Beth Ann, along with Max’s mother, Sheri Williams, and a group of family and friends, installed a wooden cross at the spot where the two young men leapt to their deaths. Along with family and friends, the installation was attended by a Lake County Deputy and a police officer from Silver Bay. Both departments were first responders to the incident.
The cross, a symbol of remembrance and hope, was constructed by a family friend with care and dedication. Over time, visitors to the memorial left heartfelt messages on painted rocks and cards, each one a testament to the enduring memory of the two young men.
Beth Ann came to Black Beach on August 11, 2025, to be part of a Special Report that Northern News Now Evening Anchor and Co-Executive Producer Dan Wolfe was preparing on recent progress to expand search and rescue operations along the shoreline to replace the US Coast Guard, which closed its station in Grand Marais several years ago. The memorial was still in place on that day, and Wolfe conducted his interview with her on that site.
Parker Radmacher, a close friend of Austin and Max, visited the memorial on August 23. He was planning for his wedding to take place on Black Beach over Labor Day weekend, in part to honor the memory of his two friends.
That weekend, it was discovered that the cross and all other items had been removed from the cliff top. Beth Ann contacted the Silver Bay Parks Director, whose department oversees the recreation area. She was told that the Parks Department did not remove it.
The mystery of who removed it remains. Beth Ann hopes that someone will come forward and return the items. If you have any information about the missing memorial, please get in touch with the Silver Bay Parks Department or the local authorities.
Describing what the cross on the cliff meant to her, Beth Ann said, “It felt like a portal to my child. And it was a message to others to pause before doing something reckless.”
The two mothers are not alone in their journey. The community has rallied behind them, turning their grief over a horrible experience into something good. Together, they’ve raised money for donations to first responders in Lake County and to create a scholarship for Simley High School students.
Beth Ann and Sheri want the cross returned.
