Charlie O'Connor

Charles John O'Connor was born April 10, 1927 in Sidney, Montana. He died peacefully at home in Yakima, Washington surrounded by family on Sunday, January 15, 2023. He was the third of Charlie and Mae O'Connor's six children and one of 17 first cousins raised on the O-V (O bar V) homestead ranch in Eastern Montana. The ranch was a network of family homesteads established in 1903 that grew to include about 15,000 acres of hard-scrabble, arid plains on the edge of the badlands near the Missouri River bottom. Family, faith, education and hard work were constants in this environment and continued to be constants throughout Charlie's life. His early education was in a one room schoolhouse on the homestead where most of his classmates were his siblings or first cousins-along with a few neighbors. From there he attended Culbertson High School and earned a 92 in typing his freshman year; his typing skills were used throughout the rest of his life. He attended Montana State in Bozeman and was drafted into the Navy, serving until the end of World War II. On his way back to Montana after being discharged from the Navy he enrolled at Gonzaga University with the benefit of the GI Bill. There began a lifelong love of education and of the Jesuit Order-their idea of seeing God in all things, their commitment to educating the whole person and their reputation for being rebels and willing to question authority, all spoke to Charlie. After his time at Gonzaga and with the Jesuits he took a job as a professor of economics and philosophy at the College of Great Falls. He spent his weekends and summers helping friends with their cattle ranches and farms.
While in Great Falls he was set up on a blind date with Doris Jean Cockrill in October of 1960. Doris and Charlie were married July 29, 1961 in Yakima at St. Paul Cathedral. Doris lined up a job for Charlie as a stockbroker at Harris Upham in Yakima. There began his long and successful career as a stockbroker. He and Doris were happy in Yakima where they raised their three kids, Karen, Molly and Pat. They were blessed with a large extended family who lived close by and mirrored how he was raised. They had two more children, Mary and Tom, but tragically both died in infancy. In the fall of 1985, Phil Tse was welcomed into the home and has been a second son to Charlie and Doris and brother to Karen, Molly and Pat.
Charlie loved his work, and he loved helping his clients. From the fall of 1961 to the fall of 2009 Charlie worked tirelessly for his clients, creating wealth through ownership. After 48 years at the same firm (the name of the firm changed over the years with corporate mergers and acquisitions, but Charlie was the one constant) he decided to retire at the age of 82. His mailbox was packed with thank you notes for his years of service and for always putting his clients first---one letter reads, in reference to Charlie's advice for her mother, "One subject she brought up often was how grateful she was to be independent for as long as she was. She would say that it could not be so if she didn't have such faith in people like Charlie O'Connor she knew you always had her best interest in mind, she could focus on other things and know that her finances were safe...what a gift you gave to her and, I am sure, many more people whose livelihoods you watched over to be sure they were safe." His client went on to thank him for being a role model and wrote, "It appears you never lost your interest, curiosity, concern for others or joy of working just because you passed up the magic age of sixty-five still working and contributing because it is fun to do so, even after that time when most people hang it up. I want to still have a smile on my face, a greeting for people, and a piece of good advice long into my 'golden years', just like you. Thank you for showing how possible that is." This letter captures so much of what made Charlie a great success---his commitment to his clients, his curiosity, his joy of life and his love of people. He continued to be a voracious reader of the news---The Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and the Yakima Herald were read each day. And of course, his beloved Jesuit periodical "America" was a constant, with multiple subscriptions purchased for family and friends over the years.
In his later years he spent more time on the golf course than he ever did during his working years---he also spent quite a bit of time focused on the comings and goings of his nine grandchildren, often chauffeuring them around town. He was always up to speed on what they were doing and where they were. He was always their biggest cheerleader just as he was for Karen, Molly, Pat and Phil. He continued to keep an eye on the stock market and religiously updated both Pat and Molly on dividend increases or big news in the financial services industry.
Both Charlie and Doris were generous to so many individuals and organizations. Their value of education as a great equalizer guided their philanthropy.
The last couple years were difficult ones for Charlie with the isolation necessitated by Covid. He was an extravert at heart, always drawing his energy from other people. Yet he kept the sparkle in his eye, his laugh, and his joy. The family have so many caregivers and home health aides to thank for giving Charlie dignity in his daily life and enabling him to stay in his home with Doris: Chris, Keri, Debi, Stephanie, Troy, Junior, Jonathan, Phyllis, Jackie, Rhonda, nurse Beth and, of course, Connie.
Charlie is survived by his wife Doris (Cockrill) O'Connor, his children Karen O'Connor, Molly Martinez (Mike), Pat O'Connor (Patricia) and Phil Tse; his nine grandchildren; Jacob, Lily, Mitchel, Daniel, Moses and Ruby O'Connor, Colleen, Lucy and Charlie Martinez; his sisters Kathleen Hagan and Helen Manaras; his brother-in-law Patrick Cockrill (Salie) along with multiple nieces, nephews and cousins.
There will be a Vigil and Recitation of the Holy Rosary on Monday, January 23, 2023 at 6:00pm and a Funeral Service will follow on Tuesday, January 24, 2023 at 11:00am, both held at St. Paul Cathedral (15 S. 12th Ave, Yakima, WA 98902. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to La Salle High School, Christ the Teacher School, St. Joseph Marquette School, Heritage University, Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest or any Jesuit organization of your choosing, sent in care of Brookside Funeral Home (PO Box 1267, Moxee, WA 98936) who is caring for the family. Click to view LIVE service