John R. O'Connell - Johno to his family, Johnny O to his friends.

John was born on St. Valentine's Day 1949, with his twin Paula Grace.  He was born in Manhattan and lived on the Lower East Side and Upper West Side until he left for college.

Upon his return from college, he entered the armed services in the branch of the Army. His service meant a lot to him.

Leaving the army, John settled in Brooklyn, which became his lifelong home - he was a fixture in his Bay Ridge neighborhood.

John worked his entire adult life for AT&T/Verizon as a Telephone Installation Repairman. He was so well respected for the quality of his work, that he was regularly called on to handle complex jobs that required his specialized skills.

John had an amazing variety of interests in the arts.  In music, he played classical piano for many, many years and had an extensive collection of music cd's - classical, folk, oldies. Irish artists, and songs from the great artists of the 40's, 50's and 60's.  In painting, John  was always working on a drawing as a child and later in life had a longstanding membership with the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  His interest in the arts also extended to dance and he had season tickets to the New York City Ballet Company.  And in literature, John loved books of every genre from poetry, the civil war, history, biography, books on eclectic subjects such as Red, A History of the Redhead. He was amazing in his diversity of interests and the world around him. For all this, John never traveled but kept to his Brooklyn neighborhood.

John had a flair for style and always dressed smartly for both casual events or the ballet.

But John was most passionate about his faith and he attended St. Anselm's weekly services. When he could, he also sought out other churches, interested in their mass and the history and design of the church itself. He gave back to his community through generous donations to various Catholic charities and social organizations in his city and across the country.

Those who knew John knew his charm, warm smile and the glint in his eye when he was having you on.

John is survived by his twin sister Paula Grace O'Connell, his younger sister Ruth E. O'Connell, his younger brother James A. O'Connell, his aunt Ann O'Connell, and close cousins Abe and Faiza Abdo and children Rajai, Safia, Suhaila, Hisham. John is predeceased by his father John Joseph O'Connell, his mother Loretta Ann O'Connell (née Jelinsky) and his younger sister Dr. Alyce M. O'Connell, wife of Daniel Adler, John's brother-in-law.

In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate a donation to:

St. Francis Friends of the Poor , New York City
or
God's Love We Deliver , New York City; an organization that provides healthy meals to people with medical conditions.  They helped John when he was in need.
or
NYU Langone Hospital New York, Their fine medical staff took care of John and were especially kind to him during his final days.

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Visitation
Tuesday (6/13)   6 - 8  PM
Clavin Funeral Home
7722 4th Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11209
* Complimentary Valet Parking Available *

Funeral Mass
Wednesday (6/14) 9:45 AM @ Saint Anselm R.C. Church
356 82nd Street
Brooklyn, New York 11209

Burial
Friday (6/16) TBD
Mount Auburn Cemetery
580 Mt Auburn Street
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138