Sean William Stonecipher Sollars

Sean William Stonecipher Sollars, 18, of Waitsburg was killed in a single car rollover accident on August 31, 2024, on the Middle Waitsburg Road. Sean was the son of Suzanne Stonecipher-Sollars and Mark Joseph (Joe) Sollars. Sean was attending WSU and studying Agriculture Technology and Production with a minor in Crop and Soil Sciences. He was home for the Fair to sell his 4H steer.

Sean was born on May 18, 2006, at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, WA. Sean spent his early years through kindergarten at Sundance Day Care in Bellevue, WA. Some of the friends and teachers he met there were still lifelong friends including his dear friend Colin Koeberle. He attended St. Louise Parish School in Bellevue, WA from 1st through 8th grades. It was in first grade that he met his best friend, John Tribolet. While at St. Louise, Sean played CYO sports (soccer, basketball and track), was in Cub Scouts and later in Boy Scouts. In 7th grade he started his passion of playing football for the Lake Washington Kangs feeder team. In 2020 he decided to play Lacrosse as well, a season that was sadly cut short due to Covid. Sean learned a lot about giving back to his more unfortunate community neighbors by helping to serve meals, and for many years providing hygiene items, at the Salvation Army in Bellevue. At a very early age, Sean loved coming to the farm to see his grandparents, visit the cows, ride in tractors, trucks and combines with his granddad and learn how to drive the lawn mower. He got his first heifer from his mom in second grade and named her Zoey. It was at the ranch that he first learned to ride a bike which later turned in to mountain bike riding with his bestie Colin Koeberle and cousin Ryan Trimble. Sean enjoyed camping and hiking, going on many hikes with good family friend Joe Hopkins and his Labrador dogs.

In August of 2020 the family moved back to Waitsburg, moving on to the family farm where Sean’s mother and grandfather were raised. Sean totally embraced the farm life wanting to learn everything he could about farming, cattle, welding and mechanics. He immediately learned how to work the tractor so he could mow the pastures, enjoyed feeding the cattle including a bottle baby that was given to him, and helping wherever he could with “farming.” He also had odd jobs that included mowing for neighbors and friends and whatever odd jobs they could find for him to do. He couldn’t wait to turn 16 so he could start driving truck in harvest for Stonecipher Farms. With Stonecipher Farms he learned how to drive “big” tractors and was able to help do field work which he absolutely loved. Working for Stonecipher Farms was his dream job and eventually he got to drive bank out wagon and combine. He also had to do a lot of other “grunt work” but took it all in stride as “that is how I learn to be a farmer.” He learned many other great skills and gained a lot of knowledge. Being a farmer was his dream. All he wanted to do was drive tractor and farm. Sean was a member of the Walla Walla County Cattlemen’s Association, the WA Cattlemen’s Association, and Valley Chapel Boots and Jeans 4H Club. Sean was very proud of his long line of family heritage in the Waitsburg Valley and looked forward to being a 5th and 6th generation farmer on family land.

As one friend wrote after Sean’s death, Sean “encompassed the All-American” boy. He was passionate and intense about life, his beliefs, his family and his friends. He had his own sense of style, a wicked sense of humor, a creative mind, a sense of compassion for others, an abundance of confidence, was polite, never knew a stranger, loved little kids, and had a strong deep faith fostered by years of Catholic education. From an early age he loved shoes and boots, colorful clothes, tools, knives, animals, snuggling, music and watching movies and old tv show series’ with his folks. He was very protective not just of his immediate family but all his cousins too and loved spending time with family. He was truly “one of a kind” and is deeply missed.

Sean was a June 2024 graduate of DeSales High School. He absolutely loved DeSales and the DeSales community including the long family history he had there. While in high school Sean played 4 years of football and basketball, 2 years of track and 2 years playing baseball. He achieved the St. Sebastian Award (Patron Saint of Athletes) for playing 3 sports a year for 4 years, a goal he made while touring DeSales before even starting school there. Sean shared his love for football with his dad and playing football was his passion.

Sean was not lazy and thrived on working and staying busy. Sometimes that involved being in the shop creating something with the welder, rebuilding something (stock trailer floor, water trough, tearing apart an old sprayer in hopes of reviving it), or working on his pickups; always something on the farm to do and he had many projects in mind. He loved helping his “boss man” Steven Brooks unload hay, build a shed or whatever other “fun stuff” Steven had in mind to do. Coyote hunting, helping Hellberg Farms with rounding up and working cattle, siting his gun and target shooting, practicing his roping skills on Steven and mom, riding his dirt bike and playing video games with his buddies were other things he enjoyed doing. He had a special place in his heart for his uncle, Kevin Blair, helping him, talking and learning about farming and other interests, sharing meals and many laughs. He truly enjoyed being with his best friend Jake Hellberg-Wilson and the Hellberg Family helping out with anything cattle and horse related or just hanging out with their big family and eating Oma’s “fine cooking.” While he had a hard time getting up for school, he had no problem getting up very early in the morning to go hunting and fishing with his good friend Drake Scott or to go snowboarding. He enjoyed special times and memories with his mom taking the round-about way home and car rides, watching sunsets, playing games or snuggling together watching a movie.

Sean was a bright light to his family and friends and had an uncanny way of reaching people. Sean cared about people and wanted to help people including his friends. This included a bit of volunteer time at St. Francis Cabrini and the Salvation Army and putting together a Holiday Food Drive as part of his senior project. Besides becoming a farmer, one of his goals was to become a First Responder along with being married and raising a family. Sean felt he had to earn what he had and that included “earning the right to wear the big belt buckle.” If he didn’t earn it, he didn’t wear it. He planned to “give back” by being a First Responder and coaching youth sports when he was done with college.

Sean is survived by his parents, Suzie and Joe; his brother, Jay Sollars of Snohomish; his beloved dog, Blackjack Joe; his grandmother, Linda Stonecipher; his girlfriend, Kasey Wegner; his aunts and uncles, Kevin and Cindy Blair, Carrie and Mark Trimble, Teresa (Kevan) Guy, John and Stacie Sollars, Catherine and Steve Coucoules, Jean and Mike Brill, and Jan Stonecipher. First cousins, Ryan (Jessica) and Alex Trimble, Rhiannon and son Kade, Jon and Jessie Brill, Kevin Coucoules, Wilson, John and Spencer Sollars, Cameron (Holly), Taylor and Colin Guy and his God-mother Chari (Vic) Clark. He is survived by his best friends, Jake Hellberg-Wilson, John Tribolet, and Colin Koeberle as well as many close friends. He is also survived by his mentors and close friends, Steven Brooks of Waitsburg and Joe Hopkins of Bellevue. Sean awaits us in heaven with his granddad, Bill Stonecipher; his grandparents, John and Charlotte Sollars; his God father and uncle Kevan Guy; Uncle Wayne Stonecipher; great-grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.

The Holy Rosary will be recited on Friday, Oct. 18, at 6:00 PM, at Assumption of the Blessed Mary in Walla Walla. The Memorial Mass will be held at Assumption on Saturday, Oct. 19, at 10:00 AM, followed by the Celebration of Life at DeSales High School in Walla Walla.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Walla Walla County Cattlemen’s Association (WWCCA) Youth Market Sale Fund, DeSales Catholic High School for Tuition Assistance, the Walla Walla Catholic Schools Booster Club, the Walla Walla County 4H Leaders’ Council (Sean Stonecipher Sollars Memorial), and the Boyer Children’s Clinic in Seattle through the Herring Groseclose Funeral Home, 315 W Alder St, Walla Walla WA 99362. Friends and family are invited to sign the online guestbook at www.herringgroseclose.com.

Sean’s family would like to thank everyone for all the texts, phone calls, FB messages, visits, cards, prayers, flowers, gifts, donations and food that have been provided during this traumatic time. We would like to offer our deepest heartfelt thanks to the first responders at the scene of Sean’s accident, several of which knew Sean personally. Our hearts break that you were at the scene of the accident, and we wish we could thank you each in person. With immense gratitude we thank the Walla Walla County Cattlemen’s Association and all the friends, families and community at DeSales Catholic High School. Thank you to those who set up the grief booth at the Fair including Cowboy Church’s Pastor Ron Alexander and those who provided pizza and drinks. Thank you to those individuals who did the tribute at the Sunday night Rodeo. We would especially like to thank the Alan Campos family and the DeSales football and volleyball teams for creating the memorial and holding the vigil at the accident site. The memorial site has been a special place for his family and so many others to go celebrate and grieve Sean. We would like to thank all the people in the Walla Walla community and the communities of Waitsburg, Dayton and Prescott who have reached out in various ways. The amount of support and kindness has been nothing short of amazing. We realize that there are many others whose names or businesses we don’t know who have helped support Sean and our family in some way and we say thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We are amazed and grateful.