Cailean started Kindergarten the day after we moved to Garrison. So many of his friendships blossomed in those early years. Cailean used to share with Brittany and I all of the silly and crazy things he and his friends would get themselves into. He loved to make people laugh.
I’ve been coming across pictures of him and his friends that I had and I will be posting them here.

For Cailean, On Behalf of Mariel

Last Night I laid down in bed, shut my eyes, and saw Cailean smile and I was finally able to breath again. Cailean’s smile was contagious and inspiring. He loved being with family and friends and everyone loved being around him.

He had an endless supply of talent. Cailean and I shared a love of nature and being outdoors. I taught him how to be a great frog catcher. He practiced and practiced and like the boys at the Manitoga Camp where I worked said– He was the Ultimate Catcher. Cailean would wake up early on his summer days to come to work with me. He was 11 and loved being a role model to all the boys there.

At the same age Cailean was enjoying another passion of his–tennis. Both of our parents passed on the love of this game to my brother, sister, and I. My dad would hit around with him and pass on his knowledge. Cailean took those lessons and ran with them. It wasn’t long before he was better than all of us and we were all trying to find a way to beat him.

Cailean’s passion for music encompassed his whole spirit. Growing up in a house of music, he learned to appreciate all of the different styles. He would go to Texas concerts with my parents and Dave Matthews with my sister and I. All of this music inspired him to be a great musician. The guitar, song-writing, and singing became his therapy in a world that presented a lot of challenges.

As Cailean got older and taller it became obvious he was going to excel at basketball. He would play with anyone, at any time and he always had the fire in his eyes that said, ?I am going to win.? He inherited the Celtic pride and he was a fighter.

Before Cailean was born, I always wanted a little sister because I didn’t know what a brother could be like. Over all the years, through all of the talent and knowledge he acquired I felt pride and joy that I only associate with one other person, my son. Cailean appreciated Dexter in a way that I never thought a teenage boy would be able to. It is now my purpose to teach Dexter about his amazing uncle and it is all of our jobs to remember Cailean Walker and help his spirit and passion for life and laughter to live on.

Being 8 ? years older than Cailean, I am fortunate to remember all the good times and the highlights of his life that you see in these pictures surrounding us. I can clearly remember the day he was born, his first day of school, and his first formal dance to name a few. Early on, I played the role of big sister but thankfully in the past ten years I was able to become much more than that as we built a special camaraderie. My sister and I had a close group of friends which Cailean naturally grew to be a part of. If we were going to the movies, it was known that Cailean was going too. If we were hanging out until 4 in the morning, so was he. I have many fond memories of the weeks he spent visiting with my sister and I in Boston. I was able to take him to some great concerts which I know he enjoyed immensely. I always got a kick out of him as we would leave a concert and he?d say, ?I?d think that was the best show I have ever seen.? I?ve told some of my close friends that Cailean is my favorite person in the world and it is devastating to know that he is now gone. I last spoke to Cailean on Tuesday night and asked him if he missed me to which he responded ?Yeah, I miss you a lot?. Now I just want to let my bud know that I miss him a lot too. I not only miss him as my brother but also as one of my best friends.

Cailean Walker Sheeran, student, talented musician, proud American and beloved family member, passed away on May 12, 2004. He is survived by his father John, mother Maureen, sisters Brittany and Mariel, nephew Dexter and dog Emma. He is further survived by his grandmothers Marie Miller and Jean Sheeran; aunts Claire Levin, Bernadette Miller, Carol Miller, Dolores Norton and Patricia Sheeran; uncles Dale Levin, Richard Miller and Peter Sheeran; cousins John Levin, Jennifer Miller, Pete Sheeran, Rebecca Stokes and Willem Van Bergen. He is preceded in death by his two grandfathers, Richard V. Miller and John D. Sheeran Sr. He also left behind many wonderful friends. Cailean would have been eighteen on June 20th and intended to graduate from James I. O?Neill High School in Highland Falls, NY and to continue his education in Boston, MA.

He was born in Manhattan and lived his early years in Jeffersonville, NY until he moved to Garrision, NY at the age of five. Through the years, Cailean adopted many nicknames including KK, Buddy, Cato and KayMan. Cailean had many interests including playing tennis and basketball and faithfully rooting for the Boston Celtics. His greatest pleasure and the interest that he took so much pride in, was his love of the guitar and song writing. He also enjoyed listening to music and attending concerts. Some of his favorite bands and artists included Dave Matthews Band, Coldplay and Mike Doughty of Soul Coughing.

If you wish you can make a donation in Cailean?s memory to one of the following:
1) Neurological Lyme Disease Research: please mail to:
NYS Psychiatric Institute
c/o Dr. Brian Fallon
1051 Riverside Drive Unit 69
New York, NY 10032.

The check should be made out to the Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene. In the lower left hand corner of the check, please indicate that the proceeds should be used for Neurological Lyme Disease research

2)Young Concert Artists Inc., an organization dedicated to discovering and launching the careers of extraordinary young musicians. For more information, please visit http://www.yca.org/.

Cailean was a loving, caring person with a contagious, mischievous smile and quirky sense of humor who will be missed tremendously. We ask that everyone that knew Cailean remember him fondly and smile when they think of ?Our Buddy? ? a unique and thoughtful young man. He was the best.

This past weekend Saint Isidore’s Church in Stow, MA held a mass to pray for Cailean. I would like to extend my gratitude and appreciation to the Cornell’s for requesting the mass. It was a lovely service. I also want to thank the friends and family that attended; it meant a lot.

We also had a big birthday party for Dex’s 2nd birthday this weekend, as well as for my parents’ birthdays. Cailean’s presence was missed but I felt him in my heart and knew that he was close by.