Former Pro Hockey Player Sean Romeo Dies Suddenly at 31, Mom Says, as She Details His Final Moments

“I don’t think anything can prepare a mother for having to go through her child’s belongings,” his mom said

Sean Romeo on Sept. 12, 2019. Credit : Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty

NEED TO KNOW

Former pro hockey player Sean Romeo died at 31 following complications from a stroke
His mother said a second stroke affected “the opposite side of his brain” and the “damage was simply too extensive”
Romeo “passed very peacefully” in the evening on Saturday, Oct. 24

Former professional hockey player Sean Romeo has died at 31 following complications from a stroke.

Romeo, a former goalie for Ohio State who went on to play for several ECHL teams after graduation, suffered a stroke on Oct. 15.

His mother Lisa Romeo said on a support page that her son’s brain swelling “continued to worsen” and he suffered another stroke in the early hours of Oct. 22.

The second stroke affected “the opposite side of his brain, along with bleeding into his brainstem,” Lisa said, explaining that the “damage was simply too extensive, and despite everything the doctors had done and how hard Sean had fought, his body could no longer overcome it.”

Ohio State Buckeyes goaltender Sean Romeo (30) makes a save during the game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Ohio State Buckeyes on February 10, 2018 — Sean Romeo plays for the Ohio State Buckeyes on Feb, 10, 2018. Quinn Harris/Icon Sportswire via Getty

In the evening on Saturday, Oct. 24, Romeo passed “very peacefully,” Lisa said. “I find comfort in knowing he was not in pain and that he was surrounded by people who loved him more than words can express,” she wrote.

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Romeo “made his final save” that day, his mother wrote, when he donated heart, lungs, liver and kidneys. “Even in death, our boy is a hero, giving others a second chance at life,” she said, asking for readers to keep the recipients of the organs and their families in prayers.

“My hope is that they will not only receive the gift of life but someday understand just how special the person was who made that gift possible,” Lisa said before describing the day after his death as “one of the hardest days” of her life.

Lisa penned, “I don’t think anything can prepare a mother for having to go through her child’s belongings. To touch every piece of everything your child owns, knowing you have to decide what to keep and what to say goodbye to, is a pain I cannot begin to describe. There simply aren’t words.”

Romeo was a star goalie for the University of Maine and Ohio State University before going pro. Over the 2017-18 season, he became the first Ohio State Buckeye players to be selected as a Mike Richter Award semifialist, and earned a spot on the Second Team All-Big Ten list.

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After college, Romeo played for multiple teams in the ECHL, including the Kansas City Mavericks, Cincinnati Cyclones, South Carolina Stringrays and the Florida Everblades.

In a statement on Monday, the league said, “The ECHL and its member teams mourn the loss and express their condolences to the family and friends of former ECHL player Sean Romeo, who passed away on Saturday at the age of 31.”