Bethel Park mourns loss of O’Mara
Bethel Park athletics lost one of its biggest supporters when Shawn O’Mara, 52, passed away on Jan. 14.
“He was a good man. A great parent,” said athletic director Dan Sloan.
Sloan met O’Mara during a six-year employment stint at the South Hills YMCA, which was located on McMurray Road in Upper St. Clair. O’Mara was always volunteering.
“He was always there to help. Very involved,” Sloan said. “The community is going to miss him because he was a super good guy.”
After marrying his high school sweetheart, Emilia Pasquarelli, O’Mara became a proud father to three athletic children. Riley, 21, excelled in wrestling. He continues to endeavor at the sport at Seton Hill University. Carley, 17, is a starter on the basketball squad and the lacrosse team. Frank, 15, is a sophomore. He plays football and basketball for the Black Hawks.
“My heart breaks for Carley, her siblings and her mom,” said Sam Loadman, who is in her second season as girls’ basketball head coach.
During her short tenure at BP, Loadman noted that O’Mara had a ‘visible’ presence. “He was always at the scoring table. Always around. He was super supportive.”
BP lacrosse coach Becky Luzier agreed. In her 23 years as a coach, she said that she didn’t know anyone that has crossed her path that was “as positive, encouraging and ever present for kids and the coaching staffs” as O’Hara was.
”Shawn was always supportive and there to help. Not because he had a daughter on the team – she was good in her own right – but for no other reason than that he was committed.
”He loved his kids. He was so proud of and supportive of them,” Luzier continued. “He was the model booster. He worked so hard and went out of his way to always do something that would better the community and make it a better place in which to live.”
The son of Ruth and Gerard O’Mara also accomplished much as a business owner. He served as president and founder of O Creations. The company specializes in traditional branding and marketing solutions based on strategy, distinctive design and proven results, for organizations of all sizes, from start-ups to large corporations.
O’Mara graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh (AIP) with an associate degree in graphic design. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Point Park and a master’s in multimedia from Duquesne University. A full-time faculty member at AIP, he also was serving as an adjunct professor at his college alma maters.
O’Mara’s death has disrupted the routine at the high school, particularly the girls’ basketball program. The Lady Hawks’ home games on Jan. 16 against rival Upper St. Clair and Peters Township on Jan. 18 were postponed. The funeral for O’Mara was scheduled for Jan. 18 at St. Thomas More Church.
“We are taking it day by day,” Loadman said.
Loadman noted the team met on Monday with school counselors and the principal. Additionally, all activities, including practices, have been optional.
“It hits differently every day. Lots of different emotions,” Loadman said. “This is something you don’t think you’d go through. We are letting the players know we are there for them and providing professional experts to help individuals through this.
“Every kid is going through this differently and all we can do is be there for them and offer a listening ear and give them resources.”
One resource is the recently opened TEAMS (Therapeutic, Emotional, Avoidance, Monitoring and Support) room in the high school. The brainchild of the principal, Joseph Villani, the space is designed to help students deal with issues and challenges they are facing.
Loadman added that getting back into a routine may be the best option for her team.
”When I played, I used basketball as a coping mechanism. Hopefully they do too.”
The community is coping with O’Mara’s death, too. A GoFundMe page has been organized by Cheri Bomar. Two days after its creation, it already had 605 donations and some {span}$67,748 {/span}has been raised.
“Shawn was a loving husband, father, brother, and son,” Bomar wrote. “He was also a beloved coach in Bethel Park. He was always willing to lend a hand to any member of the community and will be missed by so many. His kindness and generous spirit touched the lives of so many, and now it is our time to give back to his family in their time of need.”
The Chartiers Valley athletic family also lost a beloved member on Jan. 14.
Zachary D. Gleason, 35, of Bridgeville was struck and killed by a vehicle in a hit-and-run accident on West Carson Street on the South Shore of Pittsburgh.
Gleason leaves behind four children in the Chartiers Valley School District from grades 2-8. All were involved in athletics.
Chartiers Valley High School football coach Aaron Fitzpatrick has organized a gofundme.com page to help the family and the basketball team is collecting donations at all of its remaining home games this season.