James C. O'Neill

O'Neill, James C. age 80, of St. Paul, died February 12, 2009. Born January 2, 1929 in Minneapolis, his family moved to Cleveland, Ohio in the early 1930s where his father worked for the Cleveland News, an afternoon newspaper. After graduating from Cleveland Heights High School in 1947 he attended the United States Military Academy at West Point but resigned in February 1950 and returned to the Twin Cities, graduating from the University of Minnesota with a bachelor's degree in 1951, a master's degree in 1953, and a law degree in 1957. he married Cynthia Hampton Kelley in 1953. He practiced with the firm of Bundlie, Kelley and Maun from 1957 and ultimately established a solo general practice in 1968 with a specialty in labor law. He retired from his private practice in the early 1990s and attended to his family's business and agricultural affairs up to the time of his death. He is survived by three sons, James Warner (Susan) of Casper, WY, Kelley McCullough (Cynthia) of Rushford, MN, and Hampton Kelley (Sher) of Casper, WY; nine grandchildren and step-grandchildren, Fiona, Andrew, Haley, Hanna, Harper, Seth, Karlee, Colin and Riley; two brothers and a sister, Mark of University Heights, OH, David of Eugene, OR and Frances Zimmerman of LaJolla, CA, with eight nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his father, Francis L. in 1979, his mother, Gertrude T. in 1999, and his wife, Cynthia in 2005. A celebration of his life will be held at Luci Ancora in Highland Village on a date to be determined.
This obituary was originally published in the Star Tribune.