The first born of three children, Thomas Christopher "Chris" O'Leary was, "the best kid you could ever have," said his mother, Merri Walsh.
O'Leary was in the middle of his sophomore year as a mechanical engineer at Texas A&M before he died from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident on Oct. 26.
"He never caused any problems and I never worried about him because he was always so conscientious and observant," she said. "He was just such a perfect kid and he would do anything for anyone."
O'Leary remained close to his family, taking the role of a responsible older brother to his sister, Paige, and his brother, Tim. He is also survived by his father, Thomas O'Leary, his stepfather Fred Walsh, his stepbrother Matt and his stepsister Whitney.
"I had the best big brother in the world. He was my protector and one of my very best friends," Paige said. "He also worshipped my dad. He was exactly like him, and my dad was his best friend, and vice-versa. He also loved my mom very much."
His mother said he spent a lot of his spare time working on his truck.
"He was very disciplined. We always thought of him as an old man in a young man's body because he would always work first, then play later," his mother said. "And he loved anything with wheels that moved: motorcycles, Go Karts, dirt bikes, four wheelers, all of those things."
He shared a tremendous amount of love with his family, friends and his girlfriend, Courtney Harris.
"He would sit and talk to me about [Courtney] for forever," Paige said. "He also took care of all of his friends and was known as the 'parent' to them in College Station. He amazed me with everything that he did, and he was smart in every decision that he made."
Harris said O'Leary hated seeing people sad and he could cheer anyone up with his impressions and caring personality. She said he was different than the average guy and was respected for his decisions.
"That is one thing I admired about him. He had such a pure heart and such a genuine kindness about him that shined on everyone he met," she said. "He was the sweetest person in the whole world to me, and could always be trusted and turned to for anything at any time.
"I loved Chris so much that it can't be described in words. He was beautiful inside and out, and by far the best boyfriend I could ever ask for," Harris said.
Harris said some of her fondest memories are of the trips they would take on his motorcycle. She said he was very passionate about riding and was very good at it.
"It's unbelievable how much impact a single person can have," she said,"but he sure had it."
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