Brendan C. O'NEILL Jr.

O'NEILL, Brendan C. 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.

Brendan's greatest passion was coaching and teaching swimming to his students, through the Brockton Community School program and at Brockton High School. He began teaching and coaching at Brockton High upon completion of the new school in 1970. As Brendan would often say, "he came with the pool." The Brockton High School pool was named the Brendan O'Neill Natatorium in 2012 in his honor and he was inducted into the Brockton Athletic Hall of Fame in 2021, among many other accolades.

Brendan loved a hot cup of coffee in his library/den while reading the paper and listening to music. He was an avid New England sports fan, loved spending time with his friends and his bowling team. He had friendships that spanned decades. In his retirement, Brendan and Sally enjoyed their home in Charleston, SC. Brendan earned many accolades in his life, but his most impressive were husband, father, brother, coach and friend. He touched the lives of many, in and out of the pool. He will be greatly missed by his family, friends, students and swimmers.

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 can be made to the Brendan O'Neill scholarship fund. For more information, the full obituary and online condolences, visit www.conleyfuneralhome.com or on Facebook at Conley Funeral & Cremation Service.