Wayland community members celebrate the life of Mike O’Connor

The video can be viewed here.

Conversation fills the cafeteria of Loker Elementary School where Wayland community members exchange stories of the late elementary school teacher Mike O’Connor. Held on Wednesday, March 29, this celebration of life highlighted the amazing career of O’Connor and the impact he had on his students.

Diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer, glioblastoma, O’Connor fought for three years before he passed away on August 17, 2022. During his 25 years of teaching, O’Connor aimed to fill his classroom with joy and his students with curiosity. Playing penny hockey and paper football was a cherished tradition for O’Connor and his students, so there were tables set up throughout the cafeteria for people to play the games in honor of O’Connor.

This story was originally published on Wayland Student Press on April 12, 2023.