Brendan C. O’Neill, Jr, age 83, of Brockton, passed away on Tuesday, June 25, 2024 surrounded by family and friends. Born and raised in Waltham, he was the son of the late Brendan C. O’Neill Sr and Marion L. (Kelley) O’Neill. He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Sally A. (Mendosa) O’Neill, their daughter, Michaela O’Neill of Pompano Beach, FL. and his children Kelley Donalds (William) of Bridgewater, MA, Suzanne O’Neill (Cem Cakir) of New Orleans, LA, and Jeffrey O’Neill of Providence, RI, from his former late wife Ruth (Nelson) O’Neill, as well as his grandsons William Donalds, III of Brighton and John Donalds of Bridgewater. He is also survived by his siblings David O’Neill of Palm Harbor, FL, Sheila Chiasson (Gerry) of Framingham, and Maureen Chiasson of Groveland, FL. He was honored to be the special brother-in-law and uncle to many nieces and nephews.
In his early years, Brendan and his brother David were members of the Waltham Boys and Girls Club Swim Team and lifeguards during the summers at Walden Pond in Concord. After graduating from St. Mary’s High School, Brendan earned a dual scholarship in swimming and baseball to UMASS Amherst. He had wonderful stories to tell of his time swimming and competing during his high school and college years.
After graduating from UMASS, Brendan married his first wife Ruth and they moved to Washington D.C where his eldest daughter Kelley was born. He worked managing Marriott’s Hot Shoppe restaurants. Several years later Brendan was offered a job coaching the Waltham YMCA and high school teams for which he and his family returned to MA. During this time, his family lived in Sudbury, MA where daughter Suzanne and son Jeffrey were welcomed into the family. They later relocated to Plympton, MA on a small farm where he became what he liked to call a “gentleman farmer” and his daughters became accomplished equestrians. During summers he enjoyed gardening and tending to cows, sheep and horses.
In 1981, Brendan married Sally (Mendosa); their daughter Michaela was born in 1987. True to form, they lived in an old farmhouse in Brockton with enough land for Brendan to transform into another impressive garden. Upon completion of the new Brockton High School in 1970, Brendan taught swimming in the Physical Education Department and was head coach for both the men’s and women’s swim and dive teams. As Brendan would often say, he “came with the pool.” He would later earn his Master’s in Education at Cambridge College.
During his thirty years as head coach of the Brockton High School varsity teams, he amassed over 400 dual meet wins. His swim teams would go on to become Suburban League, South Sectional, and Eastern Massachusetts Champions. Many of his individual swimmers and divers became state champions, were named to All-American teams, and competed in national championships in Fort Lauderdale, FL. His teams dominated the pool for decades, even for a 13 year undefeated streak, for which Brendan received an award for “Most Winningest Coach” that hangs in the National Swimming Hall of Fame in Ft Lauderdale. His youngest daughter, Michaela followed his lead as a swimmer, training with the Brockton YMCA and high school teams.
Brendan earned many accolades for his coaching which were testaments to his dedication, knowledge and attention to detail. In 1976, he was named Boston Globe swim coach of the year. In 1992, Brendan was inducted into the Massachusetts Interscholastic Swim Coaches Hall of Fame. He received the Jack MacDonald Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association Award in 2000 and was inducted into the Brockton High School Athletic Hall of Fame as a coach in 2003. In his honor, the Brockton High School pool was named the Brendan O’Neill Natatorium.in 2012. Most recently, Brendan was inducted into the Brockton Athletic Hall of Fame in 2021.
In addition to coaching, Brendan helped develop the Brockton Community Schools swim program and YMCA swim teams alongside Mark O’Reilly and with the support of Harry Allen; these teams became important feeders of swimmers for the varsity teams. Claire Childs and Brendan worked side by side in the BHS programs for decades. They were an amazing team.
Brendan retired from coaching in 2001; however, returned as assistant diving coach alongside his former student, swimmer and friend, Michelle Zachary, from 2007-2018. He continued to work with the Brockton Community Schools swim program well after his retirement.
Brendan loved a hot cup of coffee while reading the paper and listening to music. He loved to read in his den surrounded by his book collection. He was an avid New England sports fan and enjoyed many games with Tom Johnson and friends sharing stats and stories from over the past NE team years. Brendan was able to watch the Celtics hang their 18th banner! Brendan loved his bowling team and post-game dinners with his long time pals of 45 years.
Other favorites of Brendan’s included Christmas Eve parties, jogging, telling stories, spending time on Wimbledon Shores beach and trips for lunch with Billy and Jack. Over the past several years, Brendan and Sally were able to spend more time at their place in Charleston, SC. He loved Folly Beach!
“Be the friend who friends call when they are in need” was a saying Brendan lived by and was a testament to his commitment to the people he loved.
Brendan touched the lives of many, in and out of the pool, and earned many accolades in his life. We will remember his smile and his caring for and dedication to all of us.
A celebration of Brendan’s life will be held at Thorny Lea Golf Club in Brockton at a later date to be announced on the Conley Funeral Home website.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Brendan O’Neill scholarship fund.
Checks can be made payable to:
Brockton Sports Foundation, C/O Brendan O’Neill Scholarship Fund.
Checks can be sent to:
Kevin Karo
BHS Athletics, 470 Forest Ave, Brockton, MA 02301