BUTLER TWP — Two families who have dealt with the death of a child have donated $40,000 in scholarships to 24 seniors at Butler High School.

The Linnon and Lovich families each awarded $20,000 to seniors Tuesday during Senior Recognition Night, according to Jeff Schnur, high school principal.

The Linnon family donated $1,000 scholarships to 20 students in honor of Ethan Linnon, a senior at Butler who died in a car accident in October 2015. Ethan was 18 years old when his Toyota coupe hit a tree on Meridian Road in Penn Township.

According to Ethan’s father, Brion Linnon, giving scholarships was a way to have something positive come out of a tragic situation.

“We thought (the scholarship) was the best way to give back to the community and honor his memory,” Brion Linnon said. “Ethan was an active person. He didn’t just sit around and talk about doing things. He was aware of how awesome life was. We’re not meant to be sitting around unhappy.”

Because of Ethan’s bright personality, his father said he wanted the students to write essays about how they would imitate that positive attitude.

The students who will graduate this year were in Ethan’s class. The seniors who received the scholarship are: Brandan Ackelson, Kelsee Callihan, Paige Constantino, David Dimun, Jonathan Fair, Alexis Gagliardi, Megan Goettler, Allison Harold, Samantha Harpel, Zach Henderson, Jennifer Kriess, Stephanie Lloyd, Madeline McEachin, Dominic Noel, Hugh O’Neil, Morgan Sandusky, Evan Suter, Rhett Wahler, Jensen Wehrli and Claire Weiland.

Brion Linnon said the family received many donations after Ethan’s death, even from people they had never met before, and he said the family hopes to continue the scholarship.

Although some days are still difficult, the family is quite close, and Brion Linnon said they know Ethan would not want them to be dwell on unhappy thoughts.

In fact, Ethan’s younger brother Connor, 15, has a wisdom beyond his years in handling with the loss of Ethan, their father said.

“Ethan was like his best friend,” he said. “Now, Connor will say, ‘He wouldn’t want us moping around. He would want us doing things.’”

Brion Linnon and his wife, Erin, live with Connor in Meridian and continue to encourage people to live with positivity and compassion.

The family has an event scheduled in Ethan’s honor, the Ethan Linnon Memorial 5K Run/Walk, at 8 a.m. June 11 at Alameda Park. Information is available on a Facebook page dedicated to Ethan’s memory, called “Live Like E,” or the website www.livelikee.com.

The Lovich family, who lost 4-year-old Colbee Regis Lovich, donated $4,000 to five seniors each, according to Colbee’s mother, Kelli Jo Lovich.

She and her husband, Dereke, live in Butler.

The money was donated in honor of Colbee, who died at Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh after an ATV accident in September 2014. The family raised the money during a benefit in September 2015, Kelli Jo Lovich said, amounting to about $30,000.

In addition to the scholarships, the family donated $5,000 to Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh.

Colbee was in his second year of preschool at St. Mary’s Preschool when he died, so the family also paid the tuition for another 4-year-old to attend the preschool in 2015-2016.

Providing others with more access to education just made sense to the family, Kelli Jo Lovich said.

“(Colbee) loved everything about school, and he loved helping others,” she said.

After Colbee died, he was an organ donor for three people, according to his mother. Colbee’s kidneys ended up helping some people in their 60s who were previously on dialysis, she said.

Out of the 65 students who applied, the family could only select five, a decision they left up to members at the American Legion Post 778.

“You wish you could help out all of (the students),” she said, a struggle that the Linnon family also dealt with.

Ultimately though, Kelli Jo Lovich said she is glad they can make the best out of a bad situation.

The five students who received scholarships from the Lovich family are Brady Hartle, Madalyn Kozik, Hailee McCandless, Madeline McEachin and Morgan Sandusky.

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