Sean Michael Hart, championship boxer, Lehigh University graduate, well-respected attorney, MBA, loving father, and a man who, though his life was cut tragically short, was universally respected for his intelligence, good sportsmanship, integrity and his innate sense of fairness, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on Jan. 30, 2016 at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, after a courageous battle with leukemia.
Sean was born on Oct. 30, 1967 in Allentown and was the son and only child of Carson and Patricia Hart. He attended Catasauqua Elementary schools and Saucon Valley High School. As a teenager, he won Golden Gloves boxing titles and the state Heavyweight Championship of New Jersey, eventually compiling an amateur career record of 60 wins and 4 losses. He turned pro from 1990-1995, retiring with a professional record of 19 wins and 4 losses.
Sean attended Lehigh University, graduating in 1990 with dual Bachelor’s degrees in history and urban studies, and later elected to pursue a law degree from Temple University, where he was awarded a JD with honors in 1996. He then worked as an agent for professional athletes and as a practicing attorney in the state of Pennsylvania for several years before joining PPL in 2007, where he was employed as a Senior Corporate Counsel specializing in labor and employment law.
Sean served as President of the Lehigh Home Club and as a board member of the Pennsylvania Youth Theatre. He was also a member of Northampton County Bar Association, the American Mensa Society and the Nu Chapter of Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity.
Throughout his life Sean remained a committed thinker, pursuing intellectual interests with passion and conviction. This lifelong desire to keep improving his mind and to explore new horizons led him to seek admission to Lehigh University’s Graduate School of Business, from which he earned a Master’s Degree in Business Administration in 2013 at the age of 46, shortly before he was diagnosed with leukemia.
Sean remained positive and optimistic each and every day of his life. He was not prone to complain about or to self-pity his situation, and instead worked tirelessly to keep his body and his spirits in the best possible shape to aggressively combat his disease. He was aided in this effort by a wonderful sense of humor and a sharp but dry wit for which he was justly famous…and which his friends and family will so dearly miss. Sean had an incredibly strong will to live and to enjoy as much time as he had left with his children, his family and his friends. He never gave in or gave up and was always positive about the future possibilities.
SURVIVORS
He leaves behind his wife Sherry (Doyle), his children from a previous marriage Sean and Savannah, his parents Carson and Patricia, his uncle Dennis, Aunt Rose, cousins Rose, Denise, Kelly and Dennis, and many friends, both personal and professional, as well as classmates and fraternity brothers. Sean was predeceased by his grandparents: John and Mary Hart and William and Pauline O’Donnell.
SERVICE
Family and friends are invited to a calling period from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 5, 2016 at the Heintzelman Funeral Home Inc., 326 Main St., Hellertown. The service will begin at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home and will be followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m. at St. Theresa’s Roman Catholic Church, 1408 Easton Road, Hellertown. Immediately following the mass, a procession to Holy Saviour Cemetery, Bethlehem, will follow.
CONTRIBUTIONS
In remembrance of Sean and in lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (www.lls.org).