Michael W. "Mickey" O'Connell

Michael W. "Mickey" O'Connell, 76, reached his eternal resting place on May 31, 2012, in Las Cruces, N.M. There will be a Memorial Funeral Mass on June 1, 2013, at 12 noon at the Church of the Guardian Angel, 193 10th Ave., New York, N.Y. 10011. Michael was born in Manhattan in 1936. He lived in Lake Hopatcong, N.J., for most of his life. He was a graduate of Guardian Angel High School and served in the United States Armed Forces. Mickey owned and operated his family contracting company, M. O'Connell & Company in New York. He loved ice hockey and coached for many years. He coached the Jefferson Township youth hockey league. Mickey was also a coach for the New Jersey Rockets and Golden Blades youth hockey teams. He was the assistant coach for the County College of Morris Titans in the 1970s. Mickey worked at Picatinny Arsenal until his retirement. After that, he worked for the U.S. Government, where his stations included Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Hungary, Liberia, and Turkey. Up until his death, Mickey was a full-time student at New Mexico State University, studying archeology. He is survived by his daughter, Christine M. Zotti, of Summit, N.J., and his son, Patrick J. O'Connell of Stanhope, N.J. His oldest son, Michael P. O'Connell, passed away in October of 2012. Mickey is also survived by his sister, Margaret Roddy, of Lake Geneva, Wis., and his beloved grandson, Jack Blase Zotti of Summit, N.J.