COLRAIN — Connor Powers, 17, of Colrain has died following injuries from a car crash on Nov. 6.
The Franklin County Technical School senior was remembered and mourned by his classmates, teachers and those in his community over the weekend and on Monday. He died Friday.
Powers was enrolled in the school’s electrical shop, and he was on the School’s varsity baseball team.
“Connor was very well-regarded here,” said Tech School Superintendent Richard Martin. “He was an excellent athlete and student, who was able to contribute to our school in a very positive way. It’s hard on our kids — especially those who are closest to him,” Martin said.
“The outreach and support of the kids at that school are amazing,” said Connor’s father, Mark Powers. “It’s incredible how these kids have joined together to support Connor — and now, his memory.”
Connor Powers was an apprentice electrician with Steve Keyes Electric of Whately.
“He was a wonderful young man,” Mark Powers said. “He had his own personality. He knew what he wanted to do in life. His goal was to some day be a lineman for Eversource. He was driven to finish school and start a career.”
Away from school, his father said, Connor liked to help local farmers in the area bail hay. “Connor’s idea of fun would be to put on his sneakers and run 5 or 10 miles down to Shelburne Falls,” Mark Powers said. “Connor was always up for a challenge.”
Powers was on his way home when his vehicle went over a guardrail on Colrain-Shelburne Road in Shelburne. It was reported as a single-car accident at about 3:45 p.m. More details about the accident were not released.
According to a GoFundMe website set up to cover Connor’s hospital expenses, he suffered a head injury and was hospitalized at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield.
Martin said vocational shop students spend several hours a day together, every other week, and become like family during their years of working and learning together in shop classes. “After four years, you develop a really tight bond. You develop life-long friendships,” he remarked.
The Tech School hired a counseling service to talk to staff members about grief protocols, and some school officials met with a crisis team late last week and on Sunday, Martin said. Staff members met on Sunday and at a faculty meeting again Monday morning.
The school library has been temporarily turned into a “care center” for students, and Martin remarked that it seemed to be busy throughout the school day.
Martin said there was a senior class meeting that morning, to share the news about Connor. Also, electrical shop students met Monday morning to reflect on Connor and mourn his loss.
“We’re just trying to grieve together for a very powerful young man who was a positive influence here,” Martin said.
Calling hours for Connor Powers will be held at the Kostanski Funeral Home in Turners Falls on Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. His funeral will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Colrain Community Church.