Family And Friends Mourn Sudden Death Of WHB Grad Ciara McKeon

It is fitting that when people speak of Ciara McKeon, they will often describe her as “a ray of sunshine.”

She tried to spend as much time in the sun as possible, whether she was defending a soccer goal or sprinting with a lacrosse stick in her hand on the fields at Westhampton Beach High School, or diving into the ocean at Ponquogue Beach in Hampton Bays, where she worked as a Southampton Town lifeguard in the summers over 10 years.

McKeon’s love of sports, of the outdoors and of the ocean are what will come to mind when people think about her now.

McKeon died on Friday, February 11, after being struck by an SUV the day before in the parking lot of Anclote High School, the Tampa Bay-area school in Florida where she was in her second year as a physical education teacher and tennis coach. She was 28.

Over the weekend, memorials honoring McKeon were held at both the Anclote High School and, farther north, at Ponquogue Beach in Hampton Bays, where friends and fellow lifeguards gathered to mourn together and share their favorite memories of moments with McKeon.

Mary Sullivan, a friend of McKeon’s, was at Ponquogue on Saturday, and said of McKeon, “She lived fearlessly, and she loved fearlessly. This is such a tough, tragic loss. She was like a shining star. Her smile was infectious and her laugh was contagious. She really brought everybody together.”

Earlier in the week, other friends and family spoke about McKeon, and the impact she had on so many people in a short amount of time. Ann Naughton coached McKeon when she was on the varsity girls lacrosse team at Westhampton Beach, and Naughton was also the chief lifeguard at Southampton Town and hired McKeon.

“She’s someone who was the ultimate definition of a teammate,” Naughton said. “She really brought people together and had a heart of gold.”

Naughton spoke about how McKeon had clear goals, from the time she was a teenager, and through hard work, achieved most of them. She realized her dream of playing college lacrosse by securing a spot on the team at SUNY Brockport. She was one of the increasingly rare three-sport athletes, excelling at soccer — she played goalie — basketball, and lacrosse at Westhampton Beach, from which she graduated in 2011. She also played on the prestigious Yellow Jackets girls travel lacrosse team throughout middle school and high school.

“She just loved being on a team and loved sports,” Naughton said. “She loved the camaraderie.”

McKeon had her sights set on being a teacher, another goal she achieved when she moved to Florida and took the position at Anclote. Florida was a second home for McKeon, whose family has always split time between their home there, and in Westhampton Beach.

McKeon was giving back to children in her hometown community before taking the job in Florida. She ran the junior lifeguarding program at Ponquogue, and was loved by the children who came through that program, Naughton said.

“The kids adored her,” she said, “and she had so many great ideas.”

McKeon’s older brother, Myles, spoke about how McKeon also dedicated her time to teaching youth lacrosse, and how passionate she was about that endeavor as well. He recalled her dedication to making sure the young players had proper equipment, and remembered one time when she used her father’s trailer to take a full-sized lacrosse net to the field where she was coaching for the kids to use in practice, wanting them to get a feel for shooting on a full-size net. Myles said he spent a lot of time with his sister out on the water, often taking her out boating. She did not always stay on the boat.

“Anytime I took my sister on the boat with me, she jumped in the water like a fish,” he said. “I couldn’t keep her dry if I tried.”

That kind of adventurous spirit is what Carly Bayer will carry with her when she thinks about McKeon. The pair had been dating for the last two years, and Bayer said McKeon “radiated sunshine and warmth wherever she went.”

The couple would spend hours at the beach together on weekends, Bayer said. She recalled her girlfriend’s generosity of spirit as well. “She knew I loved Christmas and would start planning for it as soon as November hit,” Bayer said. “She knew it was my favorite holiday and did everything in her power to make it special.”

Genna Kovar worked as a lifeguard with McKeon for many years and described the love between McKeon and Bayer as “a real life fairy tale.” She said she will remember McKeon’s commitment to her friends and family, pointing out that McKeon spoke to her mother, Val, every day.

“She was the kind of friend that parents pray their kids will find in life,” Kovar said.

In addition to her love of the ocean, Kovar said McKeon loved animals as well, and if they were driving somewhere together, she’d make her stop the car and pull over if they drove past a field of cows or even donkeys, just so she could pet them and feed them.

McKeon’s love for people — and animals — and her willingness to show that love by taking care of them, will be her enduring legacy, her father, John, said. It’s a legacy she’s carried on even after her death. McKeon was an organ donor, and on the day she died, her organs were donated to six different people, her father said, with plans to donate to even more individuals.

“She was the kind of daughter that most parents only dream of,” he said. “She loved her family with all her heart, and she was loved in return.”

Amid the shock of his daughter’s sudden death, John McKeon had a moment on Tuesday morning that he will likely never forget. He walked out on the pier at his daughter’s favorite Florida beach, and before long, spotted something in the water.

“A dolphin came up and swam around, playing in the water right next to me,” he said. “Please God, let her be at peace and near the beach.”