John O'Connor

John T. O'Connor, age 76, passed away peacefully on June 17, 2025, at Evergreen Hospice Center in Kirkland, WA, due to Dementia with Lewy Bodies. A Celebration of Life will be held on October 15, 2025, from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm in the Northwest Room of Ray's Boathouse in Seattle.
Born in Pierre, South Dakota on January 20, 1949, John lived in various small towns throughout South Dakota and graduated from Brookings High School. He earned a Psychology degree from Iowa State University in 1971 then moved to Washington State, where he obtained a teaching certificate and a master's in education from Western Washington University. He taught sixth grade in Auburn, WA, for five years. After traveling through Central America in 1979-1980 and a brief stint as a financial planner, he returned to teaching in the Auburn School District in 1984, working with Alternative Junior High students, a role he found to be very rewarding. He married Linda Jacobs in 1984. He received the Teacher of the Year award in Auburn School District in 2001 and later moved to Seattle Public Schools, teaching math at Whitman Middle School until his retirement in 2011.
John and Linda took advantage of long summer vacations to travel. Their first big trip was in 1995 with a trip to Greece, London and Ireland, with John's mother, Evelyn, joining them in London and on to Ireland. Travel, both domestic and international, on land and on the water, became the highlight of John's life. He owned a sailboat for 30 years and truly enjoyed many boat trips to the San Juan Islands, and into the Canadian Channel Islands, the many lakes around Seattle, Puget Sound, and the Hood Canal. In 2004, he purchased a 1999 VW Eurovan Camper, which made travel and camping more enjoyable. With retirement in 2011 (and for Linda in 2012), boating became physically challenging, and van camping and road trips became their primary mode of travel.
John was athletic throughout his life. He participated in many sports as a youngster and continued through most of his life. He coached both girls' and boys' basketball during his teaching career. He played golf from the age of 12 until dementia made it impossible to continue at the age of 69.
John enjoyed time with family and friends and was both a consummate host and welcomed guest. He especially loved spending time with his parents during their lifetimes and with his siblings until the end of his days. He and Linda have been best friends since 1975 and enjoyed a long and loving marriage.
John is preceded in death by his father, Eugene, and his mother, Evelyn. He is survived by his wife, Linda; his sister, Judith Hoel, and her two children, Shan and Holly Hoel; his brother, Timothy (Carolyn); and his brother, Geof.
To honor John's memory, and in appreciation for the exemplary care John received at the Evergreen Wockner Hospice Center, Linda has funded and facilitated the formation of the Wockner Hospice Care Center Patient and Family Support Fund, at Evergreen Health Foundation, MS-05, 12040 NE 128th ST, Kirkland, WA. 98034. Donations to this fund, in memory of John O'Connor, would be welcomed.