Obituary of Thomas J. O'Connor, Jr. THOMAS J. OCONNOR JR. (headline) Virginian Pilot - 01-29-2003 SUFFOLK  Thomas J. OConnor, Jr., 77, of Oak Island, died Jan. 27, 2003. In 1979 Mr. OConnor founded and became president of OConnor & Company, Inc. He was born in Presque Isle, Maine, but he spent most of his early life in Wayland, N.Y. He was the son of the late Thomas J. and Ella T. OConnor. Survivors include his wife, Alice H. OConnor; daughter, Jane O. Smith; son, Thomas J. OConnor, III all of Suffolk; sister, Teresa O. Salzier of Dublin, Ohio; grandchildren, Laura T. Smith, Sarah T. Smith, Sadie H. OConnor and Thomas J. OConnor IV; step-granddaughter, Annie E. Smith; and several nieces and nephews. Mr. OConnor was an active member of St. Marys Catholic Church in Suffolk. He graduated from Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. and served in the 86th Infantry, Blackhawk Division during World War II. He served in both the European and Pacific Theaters of action and received the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. In addition, he served as chairman of the National Peanut Council, the National Peanut Brokers Association and the Virginia-Carolina Peanut Association. He formerly served as vice-chairman of the Obici Hospitals Board of Directors and on the Advisory Board of Directors of the First Virginia Bank. He was a charter member and past president of the Suffolk-Nansemond Historical Society, a past president of the Suffolk Lions Club and served as chairman of the Board of Directors of Morgan Memorial Library. Formerly, Mr. OConnor served as chairman of the Suffolk-Nansemond Chamber of Commerce, as board member of the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army. He was a member of the Veteran of Foreign Wars and the Jolly Boys. The funeral will be held Thursday at 2 p.m. in St. Marys Catholic Church by Father Joseph Slattery. The family will receive friends in the church hall following the services. Burial will be private. The family will receive friends in the R.W. Baker & Co. Funeral Home today from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. In lieu of flowers, Memorial donations may be made to Alzheimers Disease Research, 22512 Gateway Center Drive, P.O. Box 1950, Clarksburg, MD 20871-1950. Odell: Fred Burgess Odell: Newspaper Obituary and Death Notice Richmond Times-Dispatch (VA) - Friday, January 3, 2003 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ––– Narrative Summary of the Obituary ––– Thomas J. O'Connor, Jr., 77, of Oak Island, died on 27 January 2003. In 1979, Mr. O'Connor founded and became president of O'Connor & Company, Inc. He was born in Presque Isle, Maine, but spent most of his early life in Wayland, N.Y. He was the son of the late Thomas J. and Ella T. O'Connor. Survivors include his wife, Alice H. O'Connor; daughter, Jane O. Smith; son, Thomas J. O'Connor, III; sister, Teresa O. Salzier of Dublin, Ohio; grandchildren, Laura T. Smith, Sarah T. Smith, Sadie H. O'Connor, and Thomas J. O'Connor IV; step-granddaughter, Annie E. Smith; and several nieces and nephews. Mr. O'Connor was an active member of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Suffolk. He graduated from Cornell University and served in the 86th Infantry, Blackhawk Division during World War II, receiving the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. The funeral was held on Thursday at 2 p.m. in St. Mary's Catholic Church by Father Joseph Slattery. The family received friends in the church hall following the services. Burial was private. The family received friends in the R.W. Baker & Co. Funeral Home on the evening of 29 January 2003 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. ––– Transcript ––– THOMAS J. O'CONNOR, JR. Virginian Pilot - 29 January 2003 SUFFOLK – Thomas J. O'Connor, Jr., 77, of Oak Island, died on 27 January 2003. In 1979, Mr. O'Connor founded and became president of O'Connor & Company, Inc. He was born in Presque Isle, Maine, but spent most of his early life in Wayland, N.Y. He was the son of the late Thomas J. and Ella T. O'Connor. Survivors include his wife, Alice H. O'Connor; daughter, Jane O. Smith; son, Thomas J. O'Connor, III; sister, Teresa O. Salzier of Dublin, Ohio; grandchildren, Laura T. Smith, Sarah T. Smith, Sadie H. O'Connor, and Thomas J. O'Connor IV; step-granddaughter, Annie E. Smith; and several nieces and nephews. Mr. O'Connor was an active member of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Suffolk. He graduated from Cornell University and served in the 86th Infantry, Blackhawk Division during World War II. He served in both the European and Pacific Theaters of action and received the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. In addition, he served as chairman of the National Peanut Council, the National Peanut Brokers Association, and the Virginia-Carolina Peanut Association. He formerly served as vice-chairman of the Obici Hospital's Board of Directors and on the Advisory Board of Directors of the First Virginia Bank. He was a charter member and past president of the Suffolk-Nansemond Historical Society, a past president of the Suffolk Lions Club, and served as chairman of the Board of Directors of Morgan Memorial Library. Formerly, Mr. O'Connor served as chairman of the Suffolk-Nansemond Chamber of Commerce and as a board member of the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army. He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Jolly Boys. The funeral was held on Thursday at 2 p.m. in St. Mary's Catholic Church by Father Joseph Slattery. The family received friends in the church hall following the services. Burial was private. The family received friends in the R.W. Baker & Co. Funeral Home on the evening of 29 January 2003 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. ––– Vital Statistics ––– |----------------------------------------------------------| | Field | Value | |-------|--------------------------------------------------| | Name | Thomas J. O'Connor, Jr. | | Age | 77 | | Birth | Presque Isle, Maine, 27 January 1926 (estimated) | | Death | 27 January 2003, Oak Island, Suffolk, VA | |----------------------------------------------------------| ––– Table of Relationships ––– |--------------------------------------------------------------------| | Name | Relationship | Residence | |----------------------------|-----------------|---------------------| | Thomas J. O'Connor, Jr. | Decedent | Oak Island, Suffolk | | Alice H. O'Connor | Spouse | Suffolk, VA | | Thomas J. O'Connor III | Son | Suffolk, VA | | Jane O. Smith | Daughter | Suffolk, VA | | Teresa O. Salzier | Sister | Dublin, Ohio | | Laura T. Smith | Grandchild | Unknown | | Sarah T. Smith | Grandchild | Unknown | | Sadie H. O'Connor | Grandchild | Unknown | | Thomas J. O'Connor IV | Grandchild | Unknown | | Annie E. Smith | Step-Grandchild | Unknown | | Several Nieces and Nephews | Other | Unknown | |--------------------------------------------------------------------| ––– Publication Details ––– |----------------------------| | Field | Value | |----------|-----------------| | Location | Suffolk, VA | | Name | Virginian Pilot | | Date | 29 January 2003 | | Edition | Final | | Section | Local | | Page | B7 | |----------------------------| ––– Other Relevant Information ––– • Founder and president of O'Connor & Company, Inc. • Served in the 86th Infantry, Blackhawk Division, during World War II • Member of St. Mary's Catholic Church, Suffolk • Graduate of Cornell University • Chairman of the National Peanut Council and the National Peanut Brokers Association • Former vice-chairman of the Obici Hospital Board of Directors • Former board member of the American Red Cross and Salvation Army • Past president of the Suffolk Lions Club and Suffolk-Nansemond Historical Society • Former chairman of the Suffolk-Nansemond Chamber of Commerce [See also: www.findagrave.com/cemetery/47548/memorial-search?firstname=Thomas&lastname=O'Connor&cemeteryName=Greenwood-Cemetery&deathyear=2003 www.findagrave.com/cemetery/47548/val=greenwood-cemetery&length=18 ] [Contributed by Bruce Saunders, bs4403@verizon.net] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may have contributed to the creation of this text. 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