'An Absolute Beacon Of Life' | Vigil Held To Remember Life Of Sean Ruffin, 19-Year-Old Killed In Crash On MD 295
DUNDALK, Md. (WJZ) -- A beloved former Patapsco High School football player is being remembered after he was killed in a car crash earlier this week.
A vigil was held Thursday for 19-year-old Sean Ruffin.
"Sean Ruffin is an absolute beacon of life," Mark Lugenbeel, Ruffin's former high school football coach, said.
"He had a good spirit, he always made everybody smile," Adrian Mitchell, a co-worker and friend of Ruffin, said.
"I'm just going to miss him, the energy," Gage Wallace, a co-worker and friend of Ruffin, told WJZ.
Early Tuesday morning, Maryland State Police say Ruffin was sitting in the passenger seat of a Toyota Camry driving north on MD 295 in Linthicum when the driver lost control and hit a tree.
Ruffin was pronounced dead at the scene.
"I don't want to believe it," Wallace said. "I'm struggling a lot."
Police say the 19-year-old driver was taken to Shock Trauma where he is recovering.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Ruffin was the captain for both the JV and Varsity football program.
"That kid never came into school without a smile on his face, to practice without a pep in his step," Lugenbeel said.
Ruffin sported number 13 on the football field and graduated last spring with the Class of 2020.
"At the end of the day, we knew Sean Ruffin was going to make something of himself, that he was going to do something different," Lugenbeel said.
Off the field, he worked at Jimmy's Famous Seafood. His boss says he had an incredible work ethic that set him up for a bright future.
"He was just such a hard worker and so pleasant and so full of personality," John Minadakis, Co-Owner of Jimmy's Famous Seafood, said.
"I saw him as like a brother," Wallace said. "If you didn't get to meet him, I wish you did meet him. He was a really great kid."
On Sunday, a memorial for Ruffin will be held at Jimmy's Famous Seafood in Dundalk from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. The restaurant will also be renaming the employee of the month award after him.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help pay for the expenses of Ruffin's funeral. For more information, please click here.
