Barbara Comfort O'Connor

Barbara Comfort O'Connor, 99, passed away peacefully on January 8, 2026. She was born August 3, 1926 in Mather, Pennsylvania to Newell and Leah Comfort.

Barbara met her husband Neal E. O'Connor at the University of Michigan. They married in 1950, and spent 63 happy years together, until Neal's death in 2013. Together, they raised their daughters Joyce and Patricia.

Barbara earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from West Virginia University. During World War II, she served as an engineering aide at Wright-Patterson Field, working in a 20-foot wind tunnel. She later taught high school mathematics and spent many years at General Motors, where she held positions as a programmer, systems analyst, and computer training coordinator. Drawing on this extensive experience, Barbara worked as a consultant at the General Motors Research Center, developing computer training courses for scientists. Her expertise also contributed to the creation of a CETA job training program for data entry clerks and computer operators for the Michigan Welfare Department.

After retirement, Barbara and Neal moved to Sun City Hilton Head, South Carolina, in 1996, where she served as the Chairman of the Resident Communication Committee. In 2005, they moved to The Seabrook of Hilton Head, where she served on the Seabrook Board of Trustees, and as President of the Seabrook Horizontal Property Regime. Barbara returned to Michigan in 2022 to be with family.

She is survived by her daughters, Joyce O'Connor and Patricia O'Connor Elliott (Thomas Elliott) and granddaughters, Leah Elliott, Robin Elliott and Karen Orlowski. Barbara is preceded in death by her sister, Mary Anne Kersting.

A private service will take place at Six Oaks Cemetery on Hilton Head, where she will be interred with her husband, Neal.