Memorial Fund for Sean Kearney's Children

The purpose of this fund is to pay for Sean’s cremation and memorial expenses as well as for a professional cleaning/repair of his house so that it can be sold to provide some financial net for his children. Sean battled mental illness and addiction, which ultimately robbed him of family, friends, career, inheritance/savings, and life. Sean loved his children more than anything else and would not have wanted the burden of his death to fall upon them. I know I am just one of many people who loved Sean. Please help me honor him and his love by making sure his children can be financially stable.

If you'd like to understand more of our story and who you would be helping, please read below:

In 2006, disillusioned and burnt out from a corporate career, I returned to Iowa to pursue a second career in teaching. During my studies, I crossed paths with a passionate technical theater professor, Sean Kearney.

Sean was dorky yet charming. You could tell how he cared for his students. And he built the most wickedly awesome theater sets. Sometimes people like to compare love to building castles in the sky- Sean literally would build castles. I quickly fell head over heels for this paint-splattered, messy-haired weirdo. My parents told Sean this was the happiest they’d ever seen me.

Marrying Sean, I gained an immediate family. My brother and sister-in-law were both amazing teachers in the area. I also was lucky to became step-mom to four incredible “bonus kids.”

Tyler was one of the most clever and humorous preschoolers I ever met, and always full of energy. Adopted from a neglectful environment, he struggled as hunger cues had turned off and he would undereat.

Madilyn possessed a huge heart and cared deeply for animals. Also a special needs adoption, she had been a resilient fighter since birth, exposed to both drugs and alcohol prenatally.

An avid gamer, Noah introduced me to Mario Kart. He loved Bakugan, Teen Titans, and Ben-10. If it was something Noah enjoyed, he became a walking encyclopedia for it.

Breanna, an insightful young woman who seemed wiser than her years, introduced me to anime and desperately sought to convince us that a hedgehog was a PERFECT pet.

Sean and I also continued to do several theater projects together and I met many wonderful and vibrant friends through that. I have happy memories of late-night theater builds, our annual Halloween party, and being the honorary "theater mom."

I loved making new memories with my bonus kids as I quickly learned about all things Pokemon ( and Disney. I developed a new vocabulary, adding words like “snoo” and “mag-za-gines.”

Our happiness was interrupted as I became aware of signs that Sean was battling alcohol addiction. We tried to help him fight it. Sean entered and exited a couple rehabilitation programs while I tried to control the situation by hunting for and clearing out hidden caches at our home, his work, and in our vehicles. I learned more about addiction, understanding that it was a manifestation of mental unwellness. But the more I sought to control, the more I found I could not. Those failures made me increasingly brittle and bitter. Nothing seemed to work, long-term. Ultimately, though I loved Sean, I realized I needed to say goodbye to a relationship with him.

Through some miracles, I was able to keep my “bonus” family. Through education, I still share a sphere with my brother and sister-in-law, who remind me every time they see me that they still love me. I’ve seen their son grow into a passionate educator too.

I’ve developed a deep friendship with Sean’s first wife, who is one of my best friends. We’ve struggled over the years, still loving Sean and knowing what he could be, but ineffective against the hold his addiction had.

Today Breanna is a passionate and committed paraeducator. When she talks of her students, you can feel the ferocity of her commitment. She lives with and cares for her best friend, while he is battling a life-threatening illness and waiting for a heart transplant.

Noah is a tall young man who doesn’t waste words and has a wicked dry sense of humor. Though he is not always understood and accepted by others because of his autism, he keeps a positive perspective. He is a dedicated and reliable employee at Walgreens and lives independently.

Madilyn still has a deep, compassionate soul. Her prenatal environment and birth trauma assures that she will always require a guardian to protect her best interests. She loves to craft and create, happily sharing with me stories and photos of her latest project.

Tyler has grown into a tall and handsome young man. He currently works in landscaping and also has a wicked intelligence for all things mechanical. He is expecting a daughter this upcoming August.

Sean loved both his family and friends fiercely. Mental illness and addiction are vicious diseases. In the end, it robbed Sean of his family, friends, career, and health. In his heart, I believe that now he has peace and freedom. Due to the disease, Sean had no savings, inheritance, or life insurance when he passed. His sole remaining asset is a house left to him by his parents, but a house that has fallen into an uninhabitable state.

Sean would not have chosen this. Sean loved his children more than anything else. Sean would have wanted to provide for all of them after his death.

As the oldest, the burden for caring for Sean’s estate and funeral falls to Breanna. We are proceeding with cremation, as Sean had expressed his wishes to several of us. However, there are costs associated with even the most basic of funerals while Breanna, as a paraeducator, is struggling to make ends meet just for herself. The home we created 16 years ago is in a lovely neighborhood. It has the potential to be an asset to provide a small financial net for all four children but will require intense professional cleaning first. This is an upfront cost that none of his children have the resources to cover.

I’d like to set up a fund to pay for Sean’s cremation expenses, a future memorial to bring together his friends and family to remember him, and professional cleaning/repair of the house.

I know I am just one of many people who loved Sean. Please help me honor him and his love by making sure his children can be financially stable.