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Connor Dunn was one of those kids born to play sports. He was fast and strong and always seemed to know the right place to be, whether on skates or in cleats.
But if you ask his coaches, it’s that grin they’ll remember most.
“It was hard to be mad at Connor,” says his soccer coach, Jamie Capisciolto. “He would sometimes do things, kind of goofing around, when I was trying to address the team in a serious tone. He would crack a comment and I would give him a side glance — but inside, I’m smiling a little bit. Connor had that way about him, very charismatic.”
At the rink, he brought that same big grin to every game and practice. You could never miss Connor Dunn (or the massive speaker he always wheeled into the change room).
“There were times when he’d drive you a little nuts, but then he’d give you this look, this grin, and you could only just shake your head and laugh,” says Mike Fera, his hockey coach this season. “It’s his presence, that energy he brought, how people just naturally gravitated toward him. Those are the memories that I will carry with me.”
Dunn, 15, has been identified as the teenager tragically killed in the west end by a suspected drunk driver over Easter weekend. Police say he was riding an e-bike with a fellow Korah student early Sunday morning when it was hit by a pickup truck at Goulais Avenue and Third Line. Dunn’s friend sustained serious injuries but survived.
The alleged driver, 18-year-old Gregory Parise, faces a long list of charges, including impaired driving causing death and dangerous operation of a vehicle causing death. None of the allegations have been tested in court and Parise is presumed innocent until proven guilty. A bail hearing is scheduled for tomorrow.
At the scene of Sunday’s fatal crash, there is now a growing roadside memorial full of flower bouquets, hockey sticks and sports jerseys. On a metal telephone pole, friends have written “Fly High” in black marker.
On social media, even more tributes are pouring in. Many have shared an image of Dunn’s #19 hockey jersey with a halo overtop. “FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS,” it reads.
“Connor was very social and well-liked, and you always knew when he was around,” says Steve Caruso, the principal at Korah Collegiate. “He had lots of energy, and that was infectious to the people he was around. His impact on our school was huge.”
On Tuesday, the first day back to class since the collision, staff and grief counsellors were focused on supporting students and talking about their loss, Caruso said. At Korah’s library, students created another display to honour Connor's memory and allow people to leave written messages for his family.
“It was a tough day, heavy emotion,” Caruso says. “But it was sorrow, not anger. This is a time to support each other, support the family, honour their privacy and make sure that we keep this about honouring Connor’s memory.”
An outgoing kid with a huge personality, Dunn was the type to bring people together. At out-of-town hockey tournaments, his teammates always seemed to end up in his hotel room.
“His friends, they meant the world to him,” Fera says. “He was just a full-of-energy, full-of-life kid.”
This past season, Connor played forward for the Soo Jr. Greyhounds U16 AA team, who capped off their season with a thrilling overtime win in the NOHA finals. Number 19 was photographed holding the championship trophy on March 23, less than one month before he died.
“I’m really glad that I was able to experience it with him,” Fera says, holding back tears. “It does mean a lot. But to be honest, it’s not the big moments that I will remember the most. It’s all the little things.”
Connor joking around and making people laugh. The unique way he celebrated a goal or assist. His ability to bring people together.
His soccer coach says he will treasure the exact same things.
“There's a reason why so many people loved him and why you're seeing this kind of outpouring,” Capisciolto says. “Connor just had a way about him.”