Thankful: Hooper's generous spirit lives on in others he helped

The same day Dominic Hooper's obituary was printed in the Southeast Missourian, his name also appeared among those of students achieving the high honor roll at Scott City High School, where he was a senior.

The achievements of the four-year honor student went beyond academics -- he was a member of the National Honor Society and the A+ program. He enjoyed weightlifting and played football, basketball and baseball; he was involved with the pep and theater clubs; he was a member of St. Augustine Church.

He was known to be compassionate, kind and generous and, in his abbreviated life, he touched many people.

Dominic died Feb. 23 from injuries sustained in an ATV accident.

Dominic's mother, Sara Hooper Snider, said Dominic's character has been testified to numerous times since his passing.

"Close to the accident, we had people come up all the time and comment -- things like, 'He was that one person at school who would always make you smile,'" Snider said. "One girl, in particular, was going through a tough time her senior year, and, I guess, Dominic was able to help her through it. She wrote a letter and did a painting for us to hold on to, just to express her feelings about losing Dominic."

Popular and very much involved in his school and community, Dominic, it seems, chose inclusion rather than exclusion.

"There was one boy in particular that Dominic used to talk to all the time *... he was one who didn't have a lot of friends, but Dominic wouldn't exclude anyone. He was able to break a lot of social boundaries and close the gap between all those kinds of groups and cliques that people have at that age," Snider said.

A scholarship has been established in Dominic's memory, and will be awarded to a freshman enrolled at Southeast Missouri State University who is a graduate of Scott City High School and a participant in high school athletics. Dominic was accepted and registered to attend Southeast after his high school graduation. Several events have taken place to raise money for the Dominic Hooper Memorial Scholarship -- autograph-signing by Dallas Cowboys linebacker Edgar Jones in April and a disc golf tournament in August, to name a few.

"The goal is to raise money for the scholarship and keep Dominic's memory alive and keep him in everyone's mind," Snider said, adding that Eric Urhahn of Scott City received the 2014 scholarship.

Dominic's ability to help people has continued even after his passing; five people received Dominic's internal organs: his heart was given to a 27-year-old man, liver to a 7-year-old girl, lungs a 43-year-old man, left kidney and pancreas to a 31-year-old man and right kidney to a 40-year-old woman.

"What I was told, they're all doing well," Snider said.

Snider, her husband, Chris, and other family members teamed with the family of Kaden Robert to raise awareness of organ donation. Kaden, 15, was fatally injured in June when a handgun accidentally discharged in a parking lot after a pickup basketball game with friends; his organs were donated to five people. The families collectively created a parade float that was seen during Benton Neighbor Day, the SEMO District Fair and Scott City High School Homecoming.

"Just by being there, it touched a lot of people. We'd see people standing up, clapping, with tears in their eyes and saying 'thank you.' It was a way to keep the boys' memories alive and raise awareness for organ donation," Snider said.

"Looking at the whole picture, it's nice to know he could continue to help people even though he's gone. We hear stories all the time about how he helped people get through a really tough time in their life. I know he'd be happy knowing these people got another chance," she said.

nhadler@semissourian.com

388-3630