NANCY O'CONNOR

O'CONNOR--Nancy Fields. December 13, 1929 November 10, 2014. Artist, author, activist, humanitarian, philanthropist and documentary film producer Nancy Fields O'Connor, 84, wife of the legendary actor Carroll O'Connor and instrumental in every aspect of his career, died Monday, November 10, 2014 of complications from Alzheimer's Disease in her Malibu home. Of full Native American heritage from Montana's Crow Indian Tribe, Mrs. O'Connor developed a celebrated exhibition and catalog of her grandfather Fred E. Miller's historic collection of over 600 photographs of the Crow Indian Tribe from 1895-1920. The Fred E. Miller Collection is currently on loan to the Great Plains Museum at the University of Nebraska. Mrs. O'Connor is also the author of Fred E. Miller: Photographer of the Crows (Carnan Vidfilm; 1985) and was executive producer of the 2007 documentary Anita O'Day: The Life of a Jazz Singer. Mrs. O'Connor was a founding member and long-time supporter of the John Wayne Cancer Institute at Providence St. John's Hospital, Santa Monica, CA. She was also a member of the Board of Trustees of The Actors Fund of America and a member of the Board of Directors for the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian. She was also involved with the South Central Los Angeles charity Neighbors of Watts. Mrs. O'Connor was a donor, a member of the Board of Trustees and a member of University of Montana's Fine Arts Advisory Committee and instrumental in the construction of the UM's PAR-TV Center. UM's Center for the Rocky Mountain West was renamed The Carroll and Nancy O'Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West in recognition of The O'Connor's long-time support and contributions. Born December 13, 1929 in Spokane, WA, Nancy O'Connor is predeceased by husband Carroll O'Connor (1925-2001); son, Hugh O'Connor (1962-1995); and nephew, Jeffery Fields. Survivors include: Angela O'Connor (daughter-in-law); Sean O'Connor (grandson); John and Jo Ann Fields (brother and sister-in-law); Mary Reynolds (cousin) and eleven nieces and nephews: Matthew O'Connor; Deirdre O'Connor; David O'Connor; Elyse O'Connor; Leigh O'Connor; Ann Fields; Matthew Fields; David Fields; Christopher Geller; Jeffrey Geller and Gregory Geller. A Roman Catholic funeral service will be held on Saturday, November 22 at 11:00am at Our Lady of Malibu Church, Malibu, CA. Burial arrangements are pending. In lieu of flowers, a tax-deductible contribution can be made to the following charitable organizations: Melanoma Research, John Wayne Cancer Institute, c/o Providence St. John's Hospital, 2121 Santa Monica Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90404; The Actors Fund of America, 729 Seventh Avenue, NY, 10019; The Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, Washington, DC.