Conor Stuart Irwin’s light was extinguished December 5th, 2016 at the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in Hartford after suffering a traumatic head injury while skateboarding the day after Thanksgiving. He was born in Traverse City, MI on May 3, 2002 and was only fourteen years old.
His many interests included playing outdoors, soccer, skateboarding, reading, eating, and listening to music. He was inquisitive, sensitive, and had a whimsical life outlook, but he also had a healthy sense of adventure and a fearless nature. Fiercely loyal to his friends and family, he ensured peace and harmony in his presence. He was an incredible listener and possessed an extraordinary mind. Many of his teachers described him as being one of the smartest kids they had known. He had an outstanding speaking ability and dreamed of one day becoming an engineer, a lawyer, an architect, a pilot, or a military tank commander. He also planned to take over a country in Europe.
Conor was an exceptional runner, having only started last year. In eighth grade, he placed 22nd in the state and was awarded Saint Bernard’s Middle School Cross Country MVP and Coaches Awards in 2015. He earned his first high school varsity letter on the 2016 Ledyard High School Cross Country team as a freshman. But his favorite sport was soccer. He played at least one season every year, for ten years, and often, 2-3 seasons in a year.
After being homeschooled, Conor attended St. Bernard Schools in Uncasville, CT for 6th through 8th grades, and attended Ledyard High School as a Freshman. As a younger boy, he made an impression on politics and in 2012 was named the youth representative to the New London County Food Policy Council after a visit to an open session of the Connecticut General Assembly. In 2013 he subsequently visited Rep. Courtney at his Washington, DC offices to discuss food and nutrition.
One of the places Conor liked most to be was by the side of his best friend, Gabe, from whom he was nearly inseparable since they met at age three. He loved travelling, geography, and in his short life, he had already seen more than half the United States as well as Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. A well dressed young man who went against the grain of typical teenage attire and chose khakis, dress shirts, and bow ties, his sense of style will long be remembered by those who came in contact with him. He truly enjoyed spending relaxed vacations in Perry, OK and Cape Cod, and he wanted to live abroad, particularly Inverness, Scotland.
Conor is survived by his parents, Holly and Whit, his sister, Gretchen, his grand parents Gail Irwin (paternal) and Rob Robertson (maternal), his uncles Quinn Irwin and Kirby Robertson, his great-grandfather Kenneth Klein (paternal), and his chocolate lab, Charlie Roux. He is predeceased by his grandfather, Don Irwin, and his grandmother, Elsie Robertson.
Services will be held at the Ledyard High School Auditorium Tuesday, December 13, 2016 at 6:26 pm.
Donations for the Irwin Family can be made to Dime Bank, Attn: Colette C. Ladd, P.O. Box 50, Ledyard CT 06339. Please make checks payable to Holly Robertson Irwin and on Memo please write Helping Hand Fund.
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