John C. O'Connor

Obituary
John C. O'Connor, beloved scion of the Columbus Irish community, passed away surrounded by family early Saturday morning, July 15, 2023, at his hospice facility in Medina, Ohio. He was 80 years old. A lifelong advocate of Irish culture and history, he was born John Charles O'Connor on July 1st, 1943 in Columbus at Saint Ann's Hospital, to parents Frances (Montgomery) and James (Tim) T. O'Connor. He attended Saint Thomas the Apostle grade school, and both Aquinas and Bishop Hartley High Schools. He was in the first graduating class from Bishop Hartley in 1961. He received a BA in business from the Ohio State University in 1965 while enrolled in the Army R.O.T.C. and an MBA from Central Michigan University. John's career took him through the many iterations of "Ma Bell" on East Broad Street from Western Electric, AT&T, and finally retiring from Lucent Technologies. After starting his long career at Western Electric, he met the love of his life Patricia Ann Cortese (Cortez). They married in 1970 and had two sons, Sean Thomas (1973) and Timothy Patrick (1975). John was a founding member of the Patrick Pearse Division of the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH) in Columbus in 1979. John was a past local and state President of the AOH and he also held various other officer positions. John was a longtime member of the Shamrock Club of Columbus where he enjoyed singing as a member of the Glee Club. Throughout his life he enjoyed many fun filled vacations and travels. He loved visiting Ireland, the beach and historic sites. In his later years, John enjoyed his retirement by volunteering his time with the Irish community, rooting for the Buckeyes and walking his last dog, Benji (RIP). Sean now spoils John's last cat, Spot, named after Data's cat from Star Trek. In addition to his wife and children, John is mourned by his two siblings, James and Sue, three beautiful, loving grandchildren Declan, Samuel, and Ciarrai, along with his daughter-in-law Kim and his nieces and nephews. In place of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in John's honor to St. Jude or the ASPCA. A public showing will be hosted on July 21st from 4 to 7 PM at Egan-Ryan Funeral Home located at 403 East Broad Street in Columbus. A Funeral Mass will be held at 10:00 AM Saturday July 22nd at Saint Patrick Church located at 280 North Grant Avenue in Columbus. The funeral will be followed by a small burial service at the chapel of the Saint Joseph Catholic Cemetery. After the service, there will be a small luncheon back at the Saint Patrick Church Hall.
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