Thomas Cody O'Connor, 23, died in a car accident on Parks Highway Feb. 26. A memorial service will be held in Dillingham on Tuesday, March 7.
The memorial service for a young man from Dillingham killed on the Parks Highway Feb. 26 will be held tomorrow. Thomas Cody O’Connor, 23, who went by Cody, was visiting a friend in Fairbanks. He was on his way back to Dillingham for Beaver Round-Up when his Subaru Impreza and a Dodge Dakota collided on Parks Highway.
Alaska State Troopers say that the wreck occurred when the other driver lost control of her vehicle. Her car crossed into the opposing lane of traffic, where it collided with O’Connor’s car. O’Connor was dead when EMS arrived. Both the 28-year-old driver of the Dodge and her 17-year-old passenger were seriously injured.
O’Connor grew up in Dillingham where he has worked in fishing and construction and at the airport. He was a fifth-generation fisherman on Ekuk beach. His cousin, Jamie O’Connor, says his roots run deep in Dillingham and around the state.
“In the winters, he’d go exploring the state. He’d stash a coat and a notebook for his raps and poems in friendly houses from Dillingham to Fairbanks to Soldotna,” says Jamie O’Connor, “Cody was mischief and magnetic. So many who knew him call him brother… he dearly loved a good, deep, philosophical conversation, and we’re taking some comfort knowing he’s having one heck of a discussion with the Lord.”
The memorial service will be held Tuesday, March 7, at the Dillingham Seventh Day Adventist church at 1 p.m. A potluck will be held at the Dillingham Senior Center following the service.
Contact the author at avery@kdlg.org or 907-842-2200.
