For 12 Marblehead High School seniors mourning the loss of their close friend Owen Coyne, keeping his memory alive means making sure the community never forgets him — not next month, not next year, not ever.
Now, the group calling itself Friends of OC is launching a lawn sign campaign to honor the 17-year-old, who died earlier this month after suffering a sudden brain hemorrhage. Proceeds will support a scholarship fund established in his memory.
The red-and-black signs, measuring 18 by 12 inches, cost $30 each. The students have ordered 250 signs, and 83 sold almost immediately when the campaign launched Sunday night.
But the effort is about much more than raising money, the friends emphasized.
“It’s about carrying on our friend’s memory and legacy,” said Max Pane.
“It’s important to remember him not just a week later, but a month later and a year later … forever,” said Caleb Sidman.
The friends hope the signs will become a visible reminder of Coyne’s impact on Marblehead and a source of comfort for his family.
“Personally, if I was in their situation, I’d find a lot of comfort in driving around and seeing a ton of houses with lawn signs,” Sidman said.
Coyne, a three-sport athlete, sailing instructor and beloved member of the Class of 2027, was remembered by hundreds at an Oct. 5 vigil at Piper Field and by more than 1,000 mourners at his funeral at Our Lady Star of the Sea Church on Oct. 8.
In the weeks since his death, his friends have been navigating the difficult return to everyday life — classes, homework, college applications and senior-year activities — while confronting a loss that has changed everything.
“We’re all doing a lot of busy stuff, but we want to make sure we keep thinking about him, doing things for him … keeping his memory alive,” said Kane.
Noah Wilson described spending last Friday afternoon looking through old photographs of Coyne instead of doing schoolwork, then returning to assignments over the weekend.
The friends said they are learning to give themselves room to grieve while continuing with their responsibilities. Sometimes, the loss catches them off guard. They described spotting someone in a hallway or across a room who resembles Coyne and instinctively thinking it is him.
“There isn’t like a minute that goes by that we’re not thinking about him,” Kane said. “The most important thing is that we have each other, and you know we’re working through it together, and OC wouldn’t want us to give up on everything. He wants us to keep going.”
The tight-knit group, whose members became especially close during high school, has leaned on one another throughout the ordeal. They visited Coyne in the hospital before his death.
They said the outpouring of love from Marblehead would probably have overwhelmed their friend, whom they described as humble and deeply connected to his hometown.
Sidman said Coyne wouldn’t be surprised by the community’s response.
“Not at all. He was such a Marblehead-oriented guy that he knows what Marblehead does for people.”
The students are promoting the signs through the Friends of OC Instagram account, @friendsofoc18 where supporters can find a Google order form. Payment is collected through Venmo when orders are placed.
Signs will be delivered to Marblehead addresses, while buyers in neighboring communities, including Swampscott and Salem, may need to arrange pickup.
For Coyne’s friends, the campaign is also a way to carry him with them through the milestones ahead — graduation, college and reunions — and to remind his family that their son and brother will always be remembered.
“He was an indescribably amazing person,” said Kane. “It’s weird because I didn’t think about it all that much when he was here. But now that he’s gone, it’s amazing to see how touched we all are by his life.”
