Mr. Sean O’Connor, an Elkins Park resident and 2016 graduate of Upper Moreland High School, passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, July 4 due to a paddle board incident during a flash storm, according to a post by the Upper Moreland High School Alumni Association. He was 29.

Mr. O’Connor played baseball for Upper Moreland High School and went on to attend Penn State Abington where he played baseball, graduating with a B.S. in Rehabilitation and Human Services. 

“He began a career in the drug and alcohol rehabilitation community, with the ultimate goal of becoming a drug and alcohol counselor. He decided to pursue getting his Master’s degree in Social Work at Walden University,” his obituary said. “Sean then pursued a career in counseling to help others at Malvern Treatment Center and the Recovery Centers of America.”

Sean O’Connor and his father, Paul O’Connor, a 1987 Upper Moreland High alum, played in a softball league together. The league started a GoFundMe page in Sean’s memory, the post said.

“Sean was an amazingly kind, caring man. For those who knew him, you know his smile would light up the room. He heavily enjoyed baseball and softball and was always ready to go to a field”, the GoFundMe page says.

$17,758 has been raised at the time of this writing.

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Photos: GoFundMe