Sean was a friend to all. He loved instinctively – with warmth, with energy, and with ease. This instinct drove how Sean engaged with other people. He never grew angry, even when he was upset. He saw goodness in each of us and placed the needs of others before himself.
In her eulogy for Sean, his mother Kristine spoke of one such instance. “On a recent mother-son ski trip with his friends, Sean chose not to ski with his friends on one of the days and to ski with me instead. When I asked him why he said that he didn’t want me to be alone.” Through this love, Sean gave people joy – a simple joy that manifested in his love of play. Whether it was skiing with his mom or playing whiffle-ball with his friends, Sean brightened our lives with his infectious little laugh and beaming smile. It is a smile that will never leave our memories.
Sean never needed or even wanted to be the center of attention but he had an indescribable light about him. He had the unique ability to both make those around him better people and at the same time make them feel better about themselves. Even at age 14, Sean was generous with hugs for family members. He would hug us often, openly and fully with two-armed full body squeezes.
Sean was an altar boy and a Boy Scout and embodied the principals of both of those roles: he was humble, trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, obedient, cheerful, brave and reverent. Sean was an excellent student and a determined competitor but never took the game, match, race or himself too seriously.
Stories were a particular passion of Sean’s. His siblings recall hours upon hours spent watching superhero movies together or discussing Percy Jackson books. With his parents, Sean instituted the nightly tradition of watching sitcoms. Before bed, he would sink into the couch with a tiny bowl of ice cream, always packed tightly against Brian’s right side. But most of all, Sean enjoyed creating his own stories as author, artist, and publisher of Laff Comics, his personal publishing house.
Sean was not perfect. Sean was human and thus suffered faults like the rest of us. But one of Sean’s good friends put it best when he told his mother, “Mom, I know that sometimes when someone dies, people make that person out to be greater than they really were. But everything people say about Sean is true. He was that good.”
In her eulogy for Sean, his mother Kristine spoke of one such instance. “On a recent mother-son ski trip with his friends, Sean chose not to ski with his friends on one of the days and to ski with me instead. When I asked him why he said that he didn’t want me to be alone.” Through this love, Sean gave people joy – a simple joy that manifested in his love of play. Whether it was skiing with his mom or playing whiffle-ball with his friends, Sean brightened our lives with his infectious little laugh and beaming smile. It is a smile that will never leave our memories.
Sean never needed or even wanted to be the center of attention but he had an indescribable light about him. He had the unique ability to both make those around him better people and at the same time make them feel better about themselves. Even at age 14, Sean was generous with hugs for family members. He would hug us often, openly and fully with two-armed full body squeezes.
Sean was an altar boy and a Boy Scout and embodied the principals of both of those roles: he was humble, trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, obedient, cheerful, brave and reverent. Sean was an excellent student and a determined competitor but never took the game, match, race or himself too seriously.
Stories were a particular passion of Sean’s. His siblings recall hours upon hours spent watching superhero movies together or discussing Percy Jackson books. With his parents, Sean instituted the nightly tradition of watching sitcoms. Before bed, he would sink into the couch with a tiny bowl of ice cream, always packed tightly against Brian’s right side. But most of all, Sean enjoyed creating his own stories as author, artist, and publisher of Laff Comics, his personal publishing house.
Sean was not perfect. Sean was human and thus suffered faults like the rest of us. But one of Sean’s good friends put it best when he told his mother, “Mom, I know that sometimes when someone dies, people make that person out to be greater than they really were. But everything people say about Sean is true. He was that good.”
We remember Sean this way due not to any astonishing action, but due to his steadfast character, defined by love. In this character, Sean personified that great commandment – to love God above all else, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Only the Almighty can attest to Sean’s completion of the former, but we stand here to proclaim that Sean embodied the latter with flying colors.
