When Paul O’Connor thinks of his son, Sean O’Connor, he remembers a cafeteria bill.
Sean was in first or second grade, and Paul was perplexed. He had given Sean lunch money all week He wondered: Where was the money going, and how was it possible they owed the cafeteria money?
There was a fundraiser bucket, raising money for victims of a natural disaster, Sean told him. He had been diligently contributing donations.
“I’m like, I can’t deal with this kid — he’s helping,” Paul recalled. “He was the one that was like that. He always smiled; he loved everybody.”
Sean’s love of people, and his bright smile are how family members are remembering him in the days since his passing. Sean, 29, died at Marsh Creek State Park on the Fourth of July when powerful storms passed through the area.
Heavy rain, strong winds, and lightning blanketed the region during the holiday. Shortly after 8 p.m., Lionville Fire Company was dispatched to the park for a water rescue. Honey Brook Fire Company units quickly responded to a call for additional resources, according to a news release. First responders were on the water for about three hours, concluding the operation after midnight, the company said.
The Chester County coroner announced O’Connor’s death on Wednesday. Authorities would not confirm if anyone had been rescued.
For hours on Saturday, his wife, Lucy Troutman, 29, waited for updates. Sean had told her his plans to go paddleboarding, for the first time, with a friend and coworker, and she’d seen his photos on social media throughout the day. She returned home from watching fireworks later that night, receiving a call around 10:30 p.m. that he was missing. Troutman was in shock, hoping it was a terrible prank, or a dream. It wasn’t until the early morning hours of July 5 that she learned her husband had died.
“It was heartbreaking. I didn’t want to believe it was real. I just didn’t know how to react. I didn’t have words. I still don’t have words for what happened,” she said.
A lover of softball and baseball, a good listener, and someone always ready to make you laugh, Sean was “the sweetest man you could ever meet,” Troutman said.
As a kid, he would join his father at his adult league softball practices. There’s a picture of Paul and Sean, heads ducked as they’re walking, both carrying their equipment bags — Paul with his gear, Sean with his Wiffle ball and bat. Sean earned the nickname “Daddy Clone” among the league, Paul said.
He was always close with his sister, Danielle. If something happened to one, the other would be there to help out, Paul said.
Sean played baseball through high school, and Troutman became a frequent attendee at his games, even though the two went to rival high schools. The two met, thanks to her crush on one of his friends. The friend set them up, and “the rest is history,” she said. She was drawn to his kindness and, of course, that smile.
“Whenever you saw his smile, you knew you were in for a good time, and especially if everybody was joking and laughing and having a good time,” she said. “You were in for it with him.”
Sean went on to attend Penn State Abington and Troutman to yet another rival school, Temple University. She would take the bus to catch his games. Over more than a decade together, Troutman watched his love of playing ball develop, and as he decided what he wanted to do with his career, ultimately landing on something that embraced his love of people. He became a counselor, helping people navigate drug and alcohol addiction.
As an adult, Paul and Sean were close as ever, too. Every time Sean left work, he called his father to chat. The two continued playing softball together in Softball America, a group that has rallied around the family during the tragedy.
In the days after Sean’s passing, the organization has helped raise more than $14,000 toward Sean’s funeral expenses. They have also sought to honor Sean’s memory in other ways. Shortly after his death, Sean was due to play in a tournament with his team. The league encouraged Paul to attend. He didn’t know if he was up for it, but he arrived when the final two games were being played to find the tournament was dedicated to Sean.
“The players often described him as the purest soul around,” Paul said. “He never, never had a negative word. He’d always trying to cheer people, no matter what was going on. If he’s getting smoked in the game, like 25-6 or something, he’d still make jokes and have people laughing if they’re down about something.”
That’s how Troutman remembers him, too. And it’s how she wants everyone else to recall him when they think of him.
“He was always willing to go out of his way to help people,” she said. “He never had a bad thing to say about anybody. He always tried to be positive and upbeat, and he always tried to make things fun, even if they weren’t.”
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