Paul O'Connor Jr.

O'Connor Jr., Paul M..
Paul M. O'Connor Jr., Lawyer and Long Time Greenwich Resident, Dies at 82
Paul M. O'Connor, Jr. passed away on September 10, 2015, at his home in Darien, CT, after a difficult battle with congestive heart failure. He leaves behind a large family and many friends who will miss him deeply.
A long time resident of Greenwich, CT, Paul and his wife Eileen, who survives him, raised their family of four children there, and ultimately Paul opened his own law firm in town. He and his wife were active in numerous community affairs. They were parishioners at St. Agnes Roman Catholic Church for decades, where Paul served multiple terms as the President of its Parish Council and in many other capacities. They were also long standing members of the Milbrook Club. Their children attended local public, private and parochial schools in town, with Paul and Eileen reliable fans at school athletic events over the years.
Paul was born in Auburn, New York, on May 16, 1933, to Paul and Dorothy O'Connor. Paul's father was a local lawyer, and his paternal grandfather, Michael O'Connor, originally from Montezuma, NY, was a dairy farmer. His maternal grandfather, A.J. Lauer, was a brewery owner originally from Wiesbaden, Germany. His aunt Adeline Lauer remained a constant presence in his life until her passing in 1980.
Paul attended St. Alphonsus elementary school and Auburn East High School, where he excelled not just as a student but as a multi-sport athlete. He spent his summers working on his grandfather's dairy farm.
After graduating high school in 1951, Paul attended Cornell University where he was a member of Delta Phi fraternity and the varsity crew team. He graduated in 1955 with honors and a double major in Chemistry and Zoology.
Paul was ROTC at Cornell and subsequently was assigned to Fort Bliss in Texas for basic training. He was honorably discharged from the United States Army at the rank of First Lieutenant with specialized training in artillery and guided missiles.
Always interested in law enforcement, Paul served as Deputy Sheriff for Cayuga County, New York for two years before starting law school at Georgetown University. He graduated from law school in 1960.
Upon graduation, Paul married Eileen P. O'Toole of Greenwich, CT, in a ceremony at St. Mary Church, Greenwich, on June 18, 1960. They happily celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary just a few months before Paul's passing,
In the Fall of 1960, Paul began his legal career -- which ultimately stretched a remarkable 55 years -- as an associate at Whitman, Ransom & Coulson, a prominent commercial law firm established by former two term New York State governor and Manhattan DA Charles Whitman. Paul became a partner in the firm in 1967 and went on to serve on its management committee. During his over two decades working in the firm's New York offices, Paul was also a very active member of the Yale Club.
As a commercial litigator specializing in labor and construction disputes, Paul represented, among others, the 1964 Worlds Fair Corporation headed by Robert Moses, Con Edison through numerous labor disputes and strikes, Meuser Rutledge, one of the leading engineering consulting firms, and the Eastern Airlines Pilots Pension Fund and its board of directors including former President Gerald Ford.
In July of 1986, Paul founded a law firm in Greenwich, ultimately known as O'Connor, Morris & Jones, where he continued to concentrate on complex commercial matters. He never retired from the practice of law to which he was devoted most of his adult life, finishing his career as Of Counsel to Ivey, Barnum & O'Mara.
After marrying, Paul and Eileen first settled in Westchester County, living for several years in Bronxville, NY. Paul and Eileen relocated to Greenwich in 1973 to their home on Stanwich Road where they lived for the next three decades.
Paul and Eileen moved to Redding, CT, in 2003, where they enjoyed gardening and other outside activities and attended St. Patrick's Church, until returning to Greenwich in 2011. They moved to Darien earlier this year.
Paul was an avid golfer, taking a number of trips to Ireland with friends and family to play the links courses there. He and his wife enjoyed travel, particularly with family. As their four children married, Paul was ultimately Grandfather to twelve grandchildren -- six boys and six girls -- and Paul and Eileen treasured time spent with them. He also enjoyed carpentry and wood working, cars -- old and new -- and NY Jets football games which he attended regularly at Shea Stadium through the team's highs and lows.
In addition to his wife Eileen, Paul is survived by his son Paul M. ("Tad") O'Connor III and his wife Kimberly of New York, NY, Anne O'Connor Standish and her husband Peter of Concord, MA, Peter J. O'Connor and his wife Ann of Greenwich, CT, Thomas L. O'Connor and his wife Sarah of Riverside, CT, six granddaughters and six grandsons. He also leaves behind his sister Francine of Auburn, NY, as well as numerous in-laws, cousins, nieces and nephews.
Paul's family will receive friends on Tuesday, September 15, 2015, from 2 pm to 4 pm and from 6 pm to 8 pm at the at the Leo P. Gallagher & Son Funeral Home, 31 Arch Street, Greenwich, CT 06830. A funeral mass will be held on Wednesday, September 16, 2015, at 11 am at St. Michael the Archangel Roman Catholic Church, 469 North Street, Greenwich, CT 06830. Burial will be private, but the family will gather afterwards with friends at Greenwich Country Club to remember and celebrate Paul's life.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Paul's name to the American Heart Association or The Michael J. Fox Parkinson's Foundation.