Connor O'Gorman Tribute

As Mike gets on a flight for Taiwan after a weekend spent having several one final leaving outings, Connor's presence was very much part of everything this past weekend and made me reflect. We toasted to Mike and Connor each night and drank Connor's shot of choice; a purple hooter.

I first met Connor at Fado in September '08. I had been trying to put together a team to play a soccer tournament in Iceland two months later and of course wanted Mike to come along. After a few minutes getting to know Connor at Fado, out of the blue, he asks me, "so what's this about Iceland?". I told him and, without pause, turned to Mike and said, "you're going". He then turned back to me and asked me if he could also go. Connor's incredible generosity and love and caring for his brother were immediately apparent.

We wanted Connor to play with us but declined, choosing to take in Reykjavik's sights and sounds day and night while we got destroyed on the pitch. The memories from that trip will stay with us forever, especially because of this blond guy with a Braves cap, with a high-pitched jovial laugh, who put everyone at ease and immediately became your friend and won your respect. Even though we lost every game, that trip was memorable, in large part because Connor went along, brought us great joke and too many laughs to count, and made it possible for Mike to go as well. Like the rest of the guys on that trip, I feel priviledged that I had the chance to meet Connor, a truly remarkable person, whom we are lucky to meet in life.

Rest in Peace, COG. You'll continue to live on through your family, something which is very apparent when spending any amount of time with Mike. The pain might never go away but I pray that your family can find peace and forever live in your memory.

Yours truly with respectful condolences,
Michel Cowdery