SEAN P. BONNER, JR. was born on March 2, 1998 in Stamford, CT. He was known to his family as “Seanie,” and he was a great son, brother, grandson, nephew, friend and teammate. He became interested in all sports from a young age and developed into a very good all-around athlete. While growing up he participated in soccer, swimming, baseball, basketball, football, tennis, and golf. Sean had a great sense of humor and he loved to quote scenes from his favorite movies. He was also a big music fan and his tastes spanned from country to classic rock to rap.
Charlotte Latin School
Sean attended Charlotte Latin School from kindergarten through high school, graduating in 2016. By the time he was in middle school, Sean had narrowed it down to three sports: football, basketball and baseball and he was a starter on all three teams. His 8th grade basketball team won their conference championship and his baseball team went to the conference finals that same year. He had a lot of success and loved every minute of it.
During the summer before 9th grade, Sean decided to focus on
just two sports in high school. Since he had the fall season open, he played
travel baseball for the first time, where he started pitching. He quickly
became the top pitcher on his high school varsity team and continued throughout
high school. Sean’s junior year was his best as a pitcher. He posted a 1.40 ERA,
and it was during this time that he decided that he wanted to pitch in
college. In October 2013, he threw a 1-hit complete game and the
victory earned him a spot on the All-Tournament team for Perfect Game WWBA
Underclass Championship. In July 2014 he threw a no-hitter which earned
him a spot on the All–Tournament team for Perfect Game WWBA 2016 Grads
National Championship. Sean was very proud of these accomplishments and he
worked hard to achieve them.
Sean was considered a leader throughout high school and he was voted captain of
his baseball team as a junior and a senior. He was also voted the 2016 “Quiet
Leadership Athlete of the Year” by the entire Charlotte Latin coaching staff,
which is given to someone who is “guided by a value system that stressed hard
work, determination, optimism, unselfishness, caring, and respect.” We thought
he was very deserving of this award and it was a perfect description of his
approach to baseball.
Denison University
In August of 2015, before his high
school senior year, Sean attended Coach Mike Deegan’s camp at
Denison University. He was immediately impressed with the coach and the
school as it was a great fit academically, as well as athletically. When
Coach Deegan called him and offered him a spot a few days later, it was a dream
come true for Sean.
In November of his
freshman year at Denison, Sean suffered a concussion after a fall in his dorm
room. He refused to tell anyone about it, and we think it was because he was
afraid of losing training time with the team. Because he kept the
incident to himself, his concussion went undiagnosed and untreated.
Several weeks after the fact we noticed something was different about him. From
discussions with his friends since his death, we believe that there may
have been several more undiagnosed concussions over the next two
years, but it is difficult to be certain.
Sean also began to struggle with depression around this time and apparently did not know where to look for help. Neither his family nor his friends knew or understood the depth to which he was struggling. Sean was the type of person who never wanted to be a burden to anyone so he was reluctant to ask for help. Regardless of whether Sean’s depression stemmed from his concussions, or from some other source, we wished that Sean and others like him knew that seeking assistance was a sign of strength, and that help was out there for him. One of Mission 34’s main goals is to help people understand that mental illness needs to be treated just like any physical illness. We hope that people will become as comfortable talking about things like depression and anxiety as they are about cancer, diabetes or heart disease.
Sean’s Legacy
We remember Sean as a bright shining light who really brought people together. He was big and strong, smart and funny, athletic and competitive. He had a smile that could light up a room and he had an easy way of connecting with people. He formed many deep friendships during his high school and college years, and it was the memory of his infectious personality and his ability to connect with people that led his friend and college classmate Peter Pittroff to develop the idea of Mission 34.
By telling Sean’s story and hearing from others, we hope to equip those listening with what to look for and how to respond to those suspected with mental illness. We want to give those who are struggling the courage to share their story and ask for help. It shows strength to ask for help, not weakness. Mission 34 – A New Type of Tough.