Funeral arrangements have been made for Delaney O’Connell, a 10-year-old from La Grange girl who died in Michigan following a skiing accident over the New Year’s weekend.
Visitation will be held from 3 to 9 p.m. today (Friday) and from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday. A funeral Mass will he held at 10:30 a.m., Saturday. The visitation and funeral service are being held at St. John of the Cross Catholic Church, 5005 Wolf Rd., Western Springs.
An art and library scholarship fund has been set up to honor Delaney’s memory. Information can be found at www.DelaneyOConnellMemorial.com.
O’Connell died Jan. 3 from a closed head injury she suffered two days earlier while taking a ski lesson at Crystal Mountain, a ski resort in northern Michigan. She apparently lost control and a hit a tree with enough force that it cracked the helmet she was wearing.
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Before moving to La Grange, where she was a fourth-grade student at Cossitt Avenue Elementary School, Delaney attended Audubon Elementary School in Chicago’s Roscoe Village neighborhood.
Delaney was born in Chicago on Dec. 1, 2006, to Brian and Dawn Gard O’Connell.
Friends of the family held a prayer vigil and tied purple ribbons around trees and lamp posts to honor Delaney.
“She was one who was always quick with a hug,” said Michael Michowski, principal of Cossitt Avenue School. “Hers were sincere and spontaneous. It was representative of who this child was, for sure.”
In an obituary published Friday, Jan. 6 in the baiduhai, Delaney was also remembered as a happy child.
“She had a fun and joyful spirit and had great fun telling jokes, singing, dancing, playing cards and doing cartwheels,” the obituary states.
Delaney was a member of the Lyons Swim Club during the school year and the Clarendon Hills Swim Team during the summer. She also practiced Jiu Jitsu and was learning to play the violin.
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