Family and friends said farewell to one of Iroquois Falls' brightest young talents Tuesday morning at St. Anne's Church. Sean Hewitt died Friday in Picton when the single-engine 1946 vintage Fleet Model 80 Canuck he and another pilot were flying crashed shortly after take-off on a private air strip in Picton, Ontario. The 20-year-old pilot was spending the summer at Trenton, Ontario instructing other young cadets how to fly. But flying was only one of the many talents Sean will be remembered for. "He was excellent at everything he did," Iroquois Falls Secondary School Principal Bill Allan told, "Everything he did was the zest and enthusiasm; he loved life and was never idle. He excelled in everything he touched - math, science, music. He had great attention to detail." Allan said Sean always smiled and was always friendly. "He had a way of getting along with everyone," Allan said, adding that Sean was nominated for the Dora Wilson Award, which is a staff award given to the student who represents the ideas of the school, including academic and extracurricular excellence." Sean was consistently a top performer at local music top performer at local music festivals finishing as top performer three times in his 11 years of participation. Sean's grandmother, Anne Columbus, began teaching her grandson piano at the age of six, at a time when Sean's mother, Maureen said it was simply just another activity for her son. "His love of music came later on," Maureen said. However, deciding what area of study to pursue at university presented a challenge for Sean, as Maureen remembers his interest in the science. He finally decided to pursue music and had completed his first year at Western University. "He had so many talents that he didn't want to give up; he did it all," Maureen said. "His friends were over and they were all agreeing that he never sat around and did nothing. He was always doing something. There was always something for him to do. "He loved life. It was like he wanted to cram in as much as he could into every minute." Although there are six years between Sean and his younger brother Kevin, Maureen said the two were extremely close. "My second son has a great love of music as well," Maureen said. "I think that started because he used to listen to Sean and he wanted to do the same thing." Sean's musical talent didn't just influence his brother. It was a talent that inspired many other young musicians at each music festival. "I think he was a real inspiration for boys in the community," Maureen said. "Sometimes it's hard to be a boy in music in a small community because it's not seen as being macho." When Sean's grandmother Anne decided to teach him, there was hesitance initially. "Being my first grandchild, he had me wrapped around his little finger," Anne jokingly remembers, "but strangely enough, when I started the teacher took over." Anne said she would miss Sean's smile and how he never said an unkind word about anyone. Maureen said that flying was definitely Sean's second love. "That's been one of the consolations," Maureen said of the accident. "He was doing something he really loved. His summers at Trenton were very precious to him." It was when Sean entered the local Royal Canadian Air Cadets 792 squadron at the age of 13 that his interest in flying blossomed. "I remember when he first came to air cadets seven years ago," A/Cpt. John Stennett said. "When he first came in he was a very quiet, shy, retiring lad who really didn't seem to be oriented to cadets, but when he got an opportunity to go up in a glider … he came out principally to pursue flying and that's what he worked on for those years. He worked steadily towards the flying end to glider pilot and then to power pilot." Bill McCarthy said Sean moved through the ranks quickly in cadets. He was one of the real, good young guys - great personality and got along with everyone," McCarthy said. "He always had a big grin. He was a real nice young man." McCarthy said Sean was also an excellent and responsible pilot who was also concerned about safety. "He was a good, safe pilot and he demonstrated it very readily," he said. "He listened well to instructions and you didn't have to tell him more than once. He picked up very readily. We've seen a lot of good guys go through the system and he's one of the top guys." Iroquois Falls Secondary School head of music Roy Takayesu said Sean was a key player in the school's music department for five years. "He was the piano accompanist for the choir for five years and the oboe player in the senior band," Takayesu said. "I was also appreciative of his devotion to the music department." Takayesu said Sean turned out for virtually all rehearsals and fund raising activities. "It sounds too good to be true, but that's the way he was," Takayesu said. "He always made the effort to be out there and be supportive." Takayesu said he always remembered Sean smiling during his years at high school. "It wasn't just that he smiled, but you could never panic him," he said. "No matter what kind of music you threw in front of him, even stuff he couldn't handle, he would see that there was a way of approaching it in an unpanicked manner. That was one of the great things about him. I think that was one the things that attracted people to him. He had a positive outlook on everything he did." As a teacher, Takayesu said he appreciated Sean as a student because of his natural ability in music, and his discretion. "When you have a student like that they may be in your program for five years, but you may only teach them for two, "Takayesu said. "The thing I really appreciated about Sean was his discretion and that's something that's kind of rare. Often when you get stars they sometimes point out the errors you make." "Sean was very supportive and that's the way he interacted with his friends. You'd make a mistake and he'd wink at you and you'd wink at him. I knew and he knew, but he wasn't going to point it out to the class. That's just one of the wonderful things about Sean. I'm really grateful to have known him for six years. The sentiments shared by his family, teachers and other adults parallel those shared by Sean's peers. In reading the eulogy at Tuesday's service, Sean's close friend of 15 years, Sean McQueen said his friend's life may have been short, but was filled with many accomplishments. "I know Sean led an extremely full life in this short time he was here," McQueen said. "I also know I will miss him terribly. I'll miss the good times we use to have. I'll miss his toothy smile, his sense of humour, the stories he used to tell and so many other things." McQueen said as long as people remember Sean and keep telling those stories he'll never be gone. "Even now I can't think of Sean Hewitt without cracking a smile because of all the joy he brought to my life," McQueen said. Newspaper Clipping from the Enterprise