ALEXANDRIA NIEVES & SETH MICHAEL MEYER
Special to The Leader and Assistant News Editor
Sean McDermott, a native of Garnerville, N.Y., and criminal justice major at Fredonia, died on Dec. 21 in his home at the young age of 21.
Sean loved life and made the most of it. He was lively in little league baseball as a kid and graduated from North Rockland High School in 2013.
On campus, Sean was known for bringing joy to many by often sporting a Deadpool costume and being an avid Nerf Club member.
James Quinones, junior business and economics major, serves as the Nerf Club president and said he knew Sean for almost three years.
“Sean was one of the first faces I saw when I joined the club,” Quinones recalled. He remembers Sean being unique, admitting he only saw him in his Deadpool mask. “He refused to tell me what his actual name was,” he said jokingly.
Zachary Thomas, a senior theatre arts major, was Sean’s roommate and a fellow Nerf enthusiast. “Sean and I met through Nerf Club. We were both freshmen in the same year,” said Thomas.
Thomas always enjoyed Sean’s company. To him, they weren’t just roommates; they were good friends.
“[Sean was] a brash goofball on the surface,” Thomas attested, “but at his core, a good person.”
He enjoyed Sean’s many stories about home.
“He always sounded like he had a fun family life,” Thomas said.
Thomas also added that he is still in touch with Sean’s parents.
To Thomas, Quinones and many others, Sean was family and a vital source of humor and joy in their lives. McDermott had a strong effect on a countless number of people including friends, family and colleagues.
Joining Sean’s family, Zachary and other Nerf Club friends, including alumni, they gathered together back in his hometown of Garnerville, N.Y., to memorialize Sean’s life.
Sean is survived by his parents, Andrew and Janet McDermott; his sister, Kayla; his grandparents, Barbara Bowling, Tomasa and Felix Ocasio; along with many family and friends.