Second Patrick O’Sullivan Memorial Hike to benefit Canal Shores Lumberjacks

(Editor’s Note: This story was reported by Nancy McLaughlin for the Evanston RoundTable, a neighboring independent newsroom. It was shared with The Record as part of an ongoing collaborative effort.)

When Laurel O’Sullivan and Tim McCauley were grieving the loss of their 18-year-old son three years ago, they found a healing connection to nature on the Canal Shores trail and unwavering support and friendship among the Lumberjacks, a volunteer group that helps maintain the scenic walking path.

On Mother’s Day, May 11, the couple hopes to pay back some of that kindness by raising $5,000 to benefit the organization with the second For the Love of Patrick O’Sullivan Memorial Hike.

Kicking off at 9 a.m., near the 11th tee of the Evans at Canal Shores golf course, the event will take place on a 2-mile stretch of the Don Wirth Hiking Trail at Canal Shores. Participants will be able to visit Patrick’s memorial bench and chess table which longtime Lumberjack Chris Broch constructed shortly after O’Sullivan and McCauley, Patrick’s stepdad, began volunteering with the group.

“You never get over your grief and it doesn’t get any smaller, but you have the opportunity to make your life much bigger,” said McCauley, who believes joining the Lumberjacks was an important first step in expanding their world.

“It’s human nature to contract in the face of loss,” said O’Sullivan. “Up until we had the walk last year and before we met the Lumberjacks that was definitely the mode I was in — self-protection.”

Patrick died by suicide in 2022, just three days after graduating from ETHS. Teachers and classmates described the straight-A student and chess club champ as a leader in the classroom, loyal friend and a kind-hearted “empath,” who wanted the people around him to feel included. His death came without warning, although his family knew he had been struggling with the isolation of the COVID shutdown and was mourning the loss of his father who died in 2019.

“It’s a hard world for the kids these days,” O’Sullivan said. “When I think about what Patrick went through and COVID and what kids are still going through. It’s a lot to navigate.”

O’Sullivan believes that more could and should be done to combat the type of quiet, ambiguous grief that devastated Patrick and causes heartache for so many other young people. To that end, she and McCauley plan to make a matching donation after the hike to Rainbows for all Children, an Evanston-based nonprofit that seeks to provide support for young people as they navigate grief and heal from loss.

Grief comes in many forms and has many causes besides death, said O’Sullivan, including divorce, illness, absent parents, lost friendships and community crises. Rainbows trains facilitators across the country and around the world to help children and teens cope with all types of loss.

“I would have loved it if District 65 or ETHS had Rainbows in place to maybe help Patrick or help his friends realize some things as well,” McCauley said.

O’Sullivan believes young people could be better served if schools “just normalized grief in the curriculum in some way.” Parents too, she suggested, need to be more open about modeling grief and vulnerability, so that children understand it’s okay to be sad.

The couple said they have been heartened recently by observing an uptick of youth involvement on the Canal Shores trail, with groups of ETHS students planting trees and performing maintenance.

“Just being in nature is so healing,” O’Sullivan said. “No matter what. If you’re parents who have lost a child or you’re just coming out there because you’ve had a hard week. That to us is the value of the Lumberjacks community.”

Fellow Lumberjack Broch confirmed that the trail is an important resource for many people seeking peace in their lives.

“Everyone has a different reason for being on the trail,” he said. “A lot of it is mental health. A lot of people are just happy, and they want to be on the trail.”

When the Lumberjacks were working to complete the trail last year, one woman who was struggling with mental health issues came out each day to check on their progress, he said. It was a ritual that became a lifeline for her.

“That’s the stuff that lights our fire,” Broch said. “We love being out there and creating this insane trail that people are really starting to learn about. It’s great to have Laurel and Tim out there. Everyone who comes out just keeps it going.”

The Record is a nonprofit, nonpartisan community newsroom that relies on reader support to fuel its independent local journalism.

Become a member of The Record to fund responsible news coverage for your community.

Already a member? You can make a tax-deductible donation at any time.