Sean P. O'Rourke

Sean P. O’Rourke


Sean P. O'Rourke, 24, of Dunkirk died Saturday afternoon (Oct. 10, 2009) as the result of an accident in the town of Pomfret. He was born Jan. 13, 1985 in Dunkirk, the son of James S. and Carol (Ludwig) O'Rourke of Dunkirk.

A lifelong resident of Dunkirk, Sean graduated with honors from Dunkirk High School, Class of 2003. While there, he had been a member of the cross country and indoor/outdoor track teams. He earned an associate's degree in welding engineering from Jamestown Community College in 2006.

He had been employed by Dunkirk Metal Products as a welder. Sean was a former parishioner of St. Hedwig's Church, where he had been an altar server and Eucharistic minister. A loving son and brother, and devoted uncle and godfather, Sean was a hard worker who enjoyed his welding job. He also enjoyed fishing, disc golf, music and working on cars with his buddies. Sean and his friends shared their time, labor and resources to keep each other going. Besides his parents, he is survived by his twin brother, USAF Staff Sgt. Brian O'Rourke of Brandon, England; two sisters, Kerry O'Rourke of Dunkirk and Erin (Andrew) Hellwig of Fredonia; two nieces, Ashleigh Hellwig and Allison Hellwig; one nephew, Gabriel Hellwig; his maternal grandmother, Caroline Ludwig of Fredonia; and his paternal grandmother, Janet O'Rourke of Liberty, NY. Many aunts, uncles, cousins and his canine companion, Boomer, also survive. He was preceded in death by his maternal grandfather, Edward Ludwig; paternal grandfather, John O'Rourke; and and aunt, Janet (Siegelman) O'Rourke.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Thursday morning at 10:30 in St. Anthony's Church, Fredonia. Friends are invited to call Wednesday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. at the McGraw-Kowal Funeral Home. Memorial donations can be made to Roswell Park Alliance Foundation, Elm & Carlton Streets, Buffalo, NY 14263 or Lakeshore Humane Society, P.O. Box 12, Fredonia, NY 14063.
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Sean was the son of our rural Mail carrier, Jim and our thoughts and prayers are with the O' Rourke family in this difficult time.