Donor Story: Connor O’Loughlin Mantsch Memorial Fund

Connor O'Loughlin Mantsch Memorial Fund

From the time that Connor Mantsch was a toddler, his family knew he’d change the world. He just saw things in a way that mesmerized adults. He saw the way buildings fit together to make a community. Throughout his childhood, music marked his soul, and his mind was full of compositions and historical facts and deep questions about life. He was joyful and loving, curious and hopeful. And his vision for his future was as meaningful to him as his love for antiquity and history.

When Connor died in a plane crash in 2012, his legacy of hope continued. His parents and sisters say that they continue to experience Connor’s peace and love and see him in gifts of butterflies, rainbows and feathers. He was 14 and already had lived more fully than most adults. His interests were many – gardening, soccer, basketball, sledding, learning, the Green Bay Packers and coin collecting, to name a few – but his devotion to each was unwavering and complete.

It is this legacy that Connor’s parents, Bryan Mantsch and Shari O'Loughlin hope to pass on to others through the Connor O'Loughlin Mantsch Memorial Fund. Connor lives on in something even more powerful than memory; he lives on in hope, love and generosity. This remarkable young man has already touched so many lives and hearts. His parents hope that the depth of his kindness and character will continue to inspire many more in the community to make the world a better, more beautiful place, just as Connor did.