JEREMIAH W. O'CONNOR Jr.

O'CONNOR--Jeremiah, W., Jr., 68, died peacefully at his home in Bronxville, New York Friday October 8, 2010. He was also a resident of Osterville, MA and Lost Tree Village, North Palm Beach, FL. Jerry was sustained throughout his life by an unfaltering devotion to his faith and family. He was a generous and loving husband, father, brother, friend and colleague. He is survived by his beloved wife of forty-two years, Joan (Bruton), five adoring children, Bill (and Eileen) of Rye, NY, Chris and M.E. of New Canaan, CT, Marjorie (O'Connor) and Nat Furman of New Canaan, CT, Karina (Lagos) O'Connor of Bronxville, NY, Catherine (O'Connor) and Matt Williams of New York, NY, John O'Connor and his fiance, Erin Dougherty of New York, NY. Jerry was predeceased by his son Jeremiah William, III who passed away early last month. He is also survived by fifteen beautiful grandchildren: Jack, Emiliano, Sarah Jane, Erin, Maggie, Will, Cate, Patrick, Margot, Christopher, Jay, Chip, Annie, Connor, and Sophia who loved to play, tease, swim, and spend time with their beloved Grampy. Jerry was born and raised in Newton, MA, the second of eleven children of the late Jeremiah William and Marjorie Quigley. He is also survived by his step-mother, Rose Ann, brothers, William, Peter, Joseph, Michael and Charles and his sisters, Dorothy, Maura, Kathleen and Margaret, and their spouses. He was predeceased by his brothers Paul and Chris. Jerry loved nothing more than to be with his wife, children and siblings - to him life was a celebration of family - his favorite of which took place often on his beloved Cape Cod. Jerry began his career at Lazard Freres and Co and with their sponsorship he helped found Corporate Property Investors, a private REIT with significant shopping center and office holdings. Jerry was an early pioneer in the development of the regional mall business. He started his own firm, The O'Connor Group, in 1983 and continued to focus much of his efforts in the shopping center industry, investing in and developing many notable properties, among them; The Westchester in White Plains New York, and Menlo Park Mall in Edison, NJ. He enjoyed every detail of development including choosing art for these properties. (In the Menlo Park Mall he placed a sculpture with six children jumping over a puddle, as a memento of his most important achievement, his children.) Jerry was a past president of the International Council of Shopping Centers ("ICSC"). The O'Connor Group, now O'Connor Capital Partners, continued in the mall development and management business and later managed a series of private equity funds that remain active today. In addition to his retail work he was most proud of the rejuvenation of Parkchester, a residential community in the Bronx. Jerry truly believed "to whom much is given, much is expected" and as such was a generous supporter of numerous charities among them: The Papal Foundation, Gregorian University, Catholic Relief Services, Partners in Health, and The Bronxville School Foundation. Jerry also served for many years as a Trustee and Chair of the Investment Committee of The College of the Holy Cross. After a Catholic Relief Service visit to Ethiopia which moved and inspired him, he devoted recent philanthropic efforts to building wells throughout that country. Jerry was a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross 1963, Harvard Business School 1967 and served as a Lieutenant (J.G) in the U.S. Navy. In lieu of flowers donations may be sent to Partners in Health, www.pih.org or Catholic Relief Services, www.crs.org. A wake will be held on Monday, October 11th, 4-8pm at Fred McGrath Funeral Home, Bronxville, NY and a Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Tuesday, October 12th at 10am at St. Joseph's Church, Bronxville, NY. A private burial will be held on Cape Cod. It was a wonderful life.