‘He made everybody feel like a somebody’: Family remembers teen killed by lighting strike nearly 1 year ago

MOUNT PLEASANT, Pa. — Nearly one year ago, a young man and woman, both 18 years old, were killed by a lightning strike during a thunderstorm in a park in Westmoreland County.

For the first time, we're hearing from Brendan McGowan’s family as they approach the first anniversary of his death.

“It was such a freak thing, and I was pretty angry at the beginning because I thought, 'Oh my gosh, out of all those trees it had to be that one they were beside.' I can’t even explain. It was very hard to process,” said Kaitlynn McGowan, Brendan McGowan’s sister.

Brendan McGowan and his friend Kaitlyn Rosensteel died after being struck by lightning at Mammoth Park last June.

It’s a day his older sister remembers vividly.

“We saw him that day and said, 'I love you and I’ll see you for dinner,' because we’re all gonna have pizza. We planned it out,” Kaitlynn McGowan said.

Concerns from his friends and Brendan McGowan not answering their calls made the fear real.

“We had kind of already known just from his friends that we had known before,” Kaitlynn McGowan said.

Brendan McGowan was an athlete and played baseball for Greensburg Central Catholic.

His family said he planned to go to the University of Pittsburgh and major in biochemical engineering.

“He made everybody feel like a somebody, and he did that kind of a leadership position. He didn’t boast about but everyone around him feel confident and comfortable,” Kaitlynn McGowan said.

“He had a wit about him that he could never hardly get in trouble. He got in trouble but he was so funny, you ended up laughing before you could punish him,” said Darlene McGowan, Brendan McGowan’s mom.

The McGowans remember him through laughs, tears and through his friends, who continue to visit the family.

The family is now using the 18-year-old’s loss as motivation to help others.

“When we would go to Penguins games. When the game would let out on Fifth Avenue, he would be the first to give a dollar to some of the homeless people on the streets. It’s that idea and feeling we want to keep alive,” said Dave McGowan, Brendan’s dad.

That’s why they set up the nonprofit Angels in the Infield, a memorial charity in Brendan McGowan’s name to fund scholarships and food banks.

The first golf outing to benefit the charity was supposed to be held in a few weeks but had to be postponed because of the pandemic. The family hopes to reschedule.

The family has PayPal that is set up if you would like to contribute to the charity. You would request to send payment to: Brendan.angelsintheinfield@gmail.com.

2 recent high school graduates die after lightning strikes in park

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