IN MEMORY: DRENNEN O’MELIA
Talented youngster leaves lasting legacy
Drennen O’Melia always put team before self, no matter what sport he played. He made friends easily with teammates. He was also an admired member of his youth group at St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church.
On June 6, O’Melia, 12, drowned while attending a private pool party. He died a leader among his peers, a promising athlete and an even better student and friend. Circumstances surrounding his death are still unknown, as he was an accomplished swimmer. According to his father, Bill O’Melia, the autopsy showed that there was nothing out of the ordinary. An investigation is ongoing.
“He was a motivated leader that always pumped the team up,” his father said. “Each week he wanted a new friend from his team to sleep over.”
O’Melia was enrolled in the gifted-and-talented program at Powell Middle School and played football and basketball for the Panthers. He was a skilled golfer, shooting even par on a par-3 course two days before his death.
On the day before he died, O’Melia qualified in the 50-meter freestyle, 50 breaststroke and 100 individual medley to earn a spot on the Southglenn Gators Swim Team.
St. Timothy’s has plans to dedicate its youth center in O’Melia’s honor.
“When he loved something, he was always saying to the other kids, ‘Come try this, come do this’,” his mother, Melissa McGarvin, said. “He just had this (great) personality.”
Youth Excellence in Sports (YES!) honors those 17 or younger who have excelled in any athletic endeavor unaffiliated with the Colorado High School Activities Association. To submit your choice for the top individual or team achievement that occurred during July, visit for an online form or fax a brief description of the achievement to 303-866-9004 (Attention: YES!).
