William J. O'Connor, 68, of Dartmouth, died Friday, January 30, 2009 after a courageous battle with cancer. He is survived by his loving wife of 43 years, Marcella (Pease) O'Connor, his sons Kevin J. O'Connor of Kissimmee, FL, and Matthew J. O'Connor of New Bedford; his sisters, Joan Reicherter and her husband Charles of Tinton Falls, NJ, and Dorothy Mullen and her husband Edward of Wading River, NY; along with many nieces and nephews.
Born in the Bronx, NY, the son of the late Joseph V. and Katherine (Walpole) O'Connor, he graduated from St. John's University with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree. He also pursued graduate studies at George Washington University.
Mr. O'Connor worked for many years in the metallurgical industry. He and his family moved to Dartmouth in 1982 while he was employed at Teledyne Rodney Metals. For the past 10 years prior to his retirement in 2007, he was employed as a loan officer at Compass Bank and Sovereign Bank, and also a senior loan officer at First Horizon Home Loans.
William joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1961 as a 2nd Lieutenant, serving in Vietnam as an Aerial Observer with the 12th Marines in Northern I Corps, and as the Commanding Officer of Charlie Battery, 1st Battalion 13th Marines during the historic siege of Khe Sanh. He left active duty in 1969 and was honorably discharged as a U.S. Marine Corps Major.
He received many military commendations for his distinguished service, including the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with 3 Gold Stars, the Navy Commendation Medal with Combat "V", the Presidential Unit Citation with 1 Star, the Meritorious Unit Commendation Ribbon, the Combat Action Ribbon, the Vietnam Service Medal with 4 Stars, the National Defense Service Medal, the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm, the Republic of Vietnam Meritorious Unit Citation with Palm, and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal.
He enjoyed giving back to his community through various volunteer works, including Treasurer of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, Past Vice President of the Country Club of New Bedford, Commissioner of the Dartmouth Housing Authority, member of the Dartmouth Veterans Advisory Committee, and member of the Dartmouth Community Preservation Committee. He also participated in many charitable fundraising organizations, including the Easter Seals.
In his spare time, Mr. O'Connor was an avid golfer. He also enjoyed spending time with family and friends and was a loving husband and devoted father.
His Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Tuesday at 11 AM in St. Julie Billiart Church, Dartmouth. Burial with Military Honors will follow in the Massachusetts National Cemetery, Bourne. Visiting hours will be on Monday from 3-8 PM in the Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals, 495 Park St., New Bedford. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to the Devin Laubi Foundation, 504 Main Rd., Westport, MA 02790. For directions and guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.