Quinn Houlahan, 22, remembered as adventurous, inquisitive

SOLON - Last week, after getting what she called a 'premonition,” Leah Schmidt talked to her son about his motorcycle.

She didn't feel good about him riding it, Schmidt said. She told him she loved him and that she would help him get a different vehicle. Schmidt's son told her that he enjoyed riding his motorcycle, that it was part of his life.

Her son - Quinn Houlahan, 22 - got on his motorcycle Tuesday night. According to the Iowa State Patrol, Houlahan was killed when a truck driven by Glen Erenberger, 54, of Solon, turned into his path. The crash remains under investigation.

'I wish he would have listened to me,” Schmidt said this week. 'But, it's also important to do what you love to do. And not be scared to live.”

And if there was one person who was not scared to live, it was Quinn Houlahan. His friends and family described him this week as an energetic and inquisitive man who had a thirst for the outdoors and adventure.

'He had a hard time just sitting there and not doing anything,” said Kiefer Stone, a friend of Houlahan's for the last decade. 'If there was something we could be doing, we'd go do it. And he wouldn't get off your back until we went and did it.”

Born in Cedar Rapids on Jan. 21, 1995, Schmidt said Quinn moved to Solon in 2000. He graduated from Solon High School in 2013 and was set to graduate from Kirkwood Community College's HVAC program this coming week. He had an internship at Modern Piping in Cedar Rapids lined up for after graduation, his mother said.

'He decided what he wanted to do and he gave it 100 percent,” she said.

Outside of school and work,” Houlahan had 'so many interests,” Schmidt said. His grandfather taught him to ski when he was 4 years old. He loved riding his bike and was into photography, as well.

'He just had a very active mind,” she said. 'He was highly engaged and curious.”

Houlahan's older brother, Adam Schmidt, said Houlahan also had a genuine interest in the people around him, how they were doing and the things they were involved in.

'He was always quizzing me about how do you do this, how do you do that,” Adam Schmidt said. 'He was always truly interested in anything I was involved in.”

Stone said that quest for knowledge made Houlahan a wealth of information. And when Houlahan wanted to learn more about something or become better at it, he would dive in, Stone said.

'If he saw you doing something that he thought was cool, then he had to try it,” Stone said. 'If he wasn't good at it, he wouldn't just give up. He'd keep going.”

Added Stone, 'He was the hardest working kid. He could out work everybody.”

Another friend, Taylor Hoskyn, also praised Houlahan's work ethic. She said he was someone who pushed himself and pushed others to be their best. And he usually did it with a smile on his face, Hoskyn said.

'His smile was super contagious and he always lit up the room,” she said. 'He loved super hard and he had a lot of love for his family and friends.”

A celebration of life for Houlahan takes place from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday at The Celebration Farm, 4996 Robin Woods Lane NE in Iowa City. Arrangements are by the Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service of Iowa City.

Stone said he knows Houlahan's family, friends and the Solon community are mourning, but Houlahan wouldn't have wanted that.

'Quinn would have wanted us to keep living,” he said. 'Quinn would have wanted us to do the best we could and keep working hard.”

Added his mother, Leah Schmidt: 'Even though I lost Quinn, I gained so much through his life and who he was and that's the only way I'm going to be OK; to focus on what I've gained and not what I've lost.”

l Comments: (319) 398-8238; lee.hermiston@thegazette.com