I met Kevin O’Sullivan at a mutual friend’s house on April 16, 2010. I was so struck by his loyalty and passion for IBEW Local 164 that I decided to write a Game Plan column about him, kind of providing a slice of life insight into brotherhood and what that means when it’s passed along through generations.
The piece went live on April 28, 2010 and Kevin picked up the phone to let me know how much he appreciated it. He said he was blown away. That he thought only his dogs understood him. Recently I told him he was on a very short list of people who had called to thank me that way and he thought it particularly funny that one of the others on that list was Oprah Winfrey.
I’ve noticed that many people have been “searching” his name since he died suddenly on Friday and they’ve found their way to this site. I was dismayed to realize the link to the aforementioned column was broken because Fox Business had made some changes (there’s a graphics error, but the important part is there), so I fixed it on my Columns page and I am providing the link here as well.
I am so, so proud of this piece and so privileged to have known him:
Thanks so much for giving the link to your piece about Kevin. I am his sister and know how much he liked the piece, and how true it was. Kevin was a ‘one of a kind’, a larger then life character with a huge heart.
It took me awhile to be able to read your piece – I’m still so raw from his unexpected death. I don’t know if you knew this, but true to form, Kevin was very concerned about my father’s health after the death of my mother & the horrible accident that took our nephew a month prior to her death. That is why he arranged to take this trip with my dad; to let my dad see New Orleans and Florida one more time – in hopes of cheering him up. His only thoughts were about my dad, and he ignored the warning signs he was getting from his body about his own health. Kevin’s big heart gave out.
Damn, I miss him.
Thank you so much for this, Doreen. I so appreciate you taking the time to let me know that this resonated.
I did know about the trip being about Kevin taking your father away and it makes his death all the more poignant and stunning. I spoke to him on Feb. 14 prior to the trip and he told me his intent in taking your Dad away for a bit. He was concerned about him just sitting and watching TV and had tried to get him to at least take some walks with him.
I can’t imagine your pain or what your family is going through. I miss him so much and want to tell him something every day. We shared some of the most vital and spiritual aspects of our lives in our talks and I feel a little lost, frankly.
Wishing you grace at this difficult time …
Nancy