FARIBAULT - Friends and family gathered at Alexander Park Thursday for Brandyn Hildebrandt's 18th birthday.

His 8-year-old half brother, Bryce Schmidtke, even wrote him a card: "We miss you a lot. We hope you are feeling healthy with God. We hope we can see you again someday."

Inside the card was a photo of Bryce sleeping on a recliner, which the family discovered on Hildebrandt's digital camera after the teen died of a self-inflicted wound in August.

Hildebrandt's death was a shock to friends and family, who said he showed no signs of depression in the months and weeks before. His family asked that others remain ever vigilant for signs of turbulence in the lives of youths, and friends expressed dismay that the 17-year-old did not ask them for help.

Hildebrandt had talked about suicide before, and was briefly hospitalized in December for his own safety. He was released and went to counseling two times a week, then once a week, then once every other week and then every third week. June 30 was his last appointment with his psychiatrist, who encouraged him to call if he needed to talk.

"As far as we could tell, things seemed to be going well in our family," said Lisa Schmidtke, Hildebrandt's mother.

Hildebrandt was a good student, his family said, a strong swimmer and pole vaulter and a caring youth. He was looking forward to making a run at a state swimming title - focusing on the 200 meter freestyle - and choosing a college during his senior year of high school.

But Hildebrandt's six months of counseling uncovered that he was skilled at hiding his emotions from his family and friends, masking personal problems with what they called a "bubbly" and "goofy" attitude.

On August 22, Hildebrandt fatally shot himself in his family's Faribault home. He did not leave a note. Family members said they only recently learned that his suicide was likely an impulsive response to a long-running personal problem that had intensified, but that they were not privy to his final thoughts.

"Our biggest wish is that we could have known what was going on," Lisa Schmidtke said.

One of Hildebrandt's friends, 15-year-old Sam Weidt, mirrored that sentiment.

"I really didn't see anything ... he's one of those kids that you never saw sad. If we would have known, we could have told him there was another way out," Weidt said.

Weidt and others who came to Alexander Park Thursday afternoon prayed for Hildebrandt and dedicated three trees near Bruce Smith Field with an 18-balloon launch.

The balloons soared into a blue sky for several minutes before they shrank out of sight.

For the family, the launch was just the latest milestone on a path littered with unanswered questions.

"There hasn't been a minute that goes by - I'm always thinking about the situation," said step-father Tim Schmidtke. "There are just so many things you see that remind you of him."