Toddler Sean was always beaming with happiness! He loved to watch trains go by, dig things up, and play with every sports ball he could get his small hands on.

When he stopped gaining weight and growing his mother rushed him to the doctor for answers. They suggested the RICE diet. Things only got worse. Sean went through a slew of allergy tests to help figure out the problem. It turned out that he was actually gluten intolerant so the new diet was doing the opposite of what he needed. Once his mom was armed with this important new information, she went to the store hopeful and felt prepared. She left in tears with a nearly empty cart. Gluten free items were scarce in 1987. With patience and practice his mom was able to come up with plenty of foods for Sean to enjoy. It was obvious when he would branch out and try something he shouldn't have!

Through these trials Sean stayed positive and his adorable smile was often found on his face. Even the lady at the local farm stand couldn't wait to see his contagious smile. She looked forward to our visits and somehow a joke formed from the word adorable and she called him "a doorbell." This happened everywhere, Sean made friends easily and was always surrounded.                  

Sean never lost his love of playing sports, playing outside, and being with friends. "Good time Charlie" was a nickname his father game him. Even when out at a restaurant, you could find Sean and his dad having a catch in the parking lot while waiting for their food to come to the table. He played soccer, baseball, bowling, he enjoyed swimming, biking, skiing. If it was a physical activity, you knew you could find Sean there. He was very competitive which only drove his skill level up. He even cared about winning boardgames, like Monopoly, which would dominate the family table for days at a time.      

As a teenager he played many of the same sports and added in some new ones, he tried his hand a tennis and golf, paddle boarding and snorkeling. In High School he played on the baseball team at Charter School of Wilmington. We all enjoyed watching him play. At school he made even more friends, many of whom help with this organization.  

Sean went on to the University of Delaware for college, he majored in Engineering.

He enjoyed his time there and his social life expanded even more. After he passed one friend shared this story...

They were walking down main street and they were stopped repeatedly. He said it was like walking with a celebrity because so many people knew him. He said he would invite people he barely knew to help them adjust at the school and feel like they had community.  Another friend once said he would receive regular texts from Sean hoping to plan a tennis match or catch up. He said Sean valued his friendships and worked hard on them.  He did the same with family. After his sister had a baby he would randomly stop by to check in just to say hi. You could call him anytime and he would take time to listen to you.

He was a treasure, and is thoroughly missed. His loss sent a ripple effect that is probably wider than we even know.

While we continue to miss Sean everyday, his light and love were the driving force behind the origination of The Friends of Sean Foundation.

Sean would have loved that the idea for the organization was started with a core group of friends all sharing laughs and love over a beer.

Now, the organization and Sean’s community continues to grow and is completely run by volunteers who believe in continuing to make the same impact Sean had on others.