Timothy J. O'Connor's Obituary
Timothy J. O’Connor, age 85, passed away on October 8, 2016 at his home in Clearwater, Florida. He was born on July 10, 1931 in Ahaneboy, Knocknagoshel, County Kerry, Ireland to Cornelius and Bridget O’Connor. Tim grew up in Ahaneboy before he left Ireland for America at the age of 18 travelling from Cobh to New York City. While in New York, Tim met the love of his life, Joan Murphy, from Rockchapel, County Cork, Ireland. They wed in 1958 and were happily married for almost 40 years before her passing in 1998.
Tim (“Teddy” for many of his friends) worked for Trans World Airlines in New York and then Tampa. He retired from TWA after 40 years of dedicated service. Tim was also a devoted member of St. Cecelia’s Church in Clearwater where he served as Eucharistic Minister. His Church family, especially his good friends Monsignor Aidan Foynes and miss Kathy, was especially sacred to Tim and offered him much comfort and support over the years.
He was a devoted husband, father, brother, and friend to so many. He enjoyed following Kerry football and hurling, as well as his local Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tim enjoyed swimming, gardening, golfing, and fishing; but most of all he enjoyed spending time with or talking on the phone with his family here in the States and back in Ireland.
Tim was preceded in death by his parents Cornelius and Bridget, his siblings, Mary, Norrie, James, and Dan and his loving wife Joan. Tim is survived by daughter Eileen and his sons Neil (and wife Pat), John (and wife Darcelle), Tim (Denise), David (wife Jenny), and James (wife Gianni); grandchildren Tygue, Hannah, Anna, Connor, Aiden, Brady, Libby, and Ronin; and his many nieces and nephews and other relatives in Ireland and around the world.
From the immediate O’Connor family, there are too many people to thank individually for your support, friendship, and prayer for our father over the years. Know that we cannot thank you enough for everything you did to help make dad’s life so rich and blessed. You each have a new special guardian angel watching out for you.
A memorial service will be held at Moss-Feaster, 693 Belcher Road, Clearwater, Florida from 6 to 8 pm, Thursday October 13. A mass will be held at St. Cecelia’s Catholic Church, 820 Jasmine Way, Clearwater, Florida on Friday October 14, 10:30 am. Burial will follow at Sylvan Abbey, 2853 Sunset Point Rd, Clearwater on Friday October 14, 1 pm. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to Suncoast Hospice (http://www.thehospice.org/Donate) who were so important to his wife Joan or the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (http://svdpccsp.org/contact_form.htm). Condolences may be left on Tim O’Connor’s online guest book at http://www.mossfeaster.com/obituaries/Timothy-O-Connor-2
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