Paul O'Neil

Paul O'Neil

Leyden, MA - Paul M. O'Neil died on April 23 at home in Leyden during a short illness. Paul was born in Fall River on February 21, 1949, the son of Paul Francis O'Neil and Dorothy Muriel (Davis) O'Neil.

Paul has left his wife of 53 years, Karen E. O'Neil and his daughter, Kathleen Claire and her husband, Louis Bouzon of Spotsylvania, VA. as well as many cousins and friends, all of whom miss him dearly.

With his degree in Wildlife Management from the University of Maine, Paul and Karen lived in many parts of the country as he pursued his career in public service, always in a wildlife branch of the U.S. Department of Interior or the U.S.D.A. He began as a research technician for the U.S. Forest Service in Maine, which included caring for and researching the dietary needs of moose using abandoned calves, in order to make recommendations for forest cutting practices. A professional move took him to the Albany area of New York in animal damage control (ADC), to Knott's Island, N.C.as Assistant Refuge Manager at Mackay Island National Wildlife Refuge, San Diego County for ADC work, and the regional ADC office for Washington, Alaska and Hawaii, until the return home to New England as a grants manager for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Hadley.

He was known for his vast knowledge and expertise, his engaging personality, love of the outdoors, and conservation values, but especially for his drop-everything-to-help-a-neighbor-or-friend approach. All of these skills and experiences served as fodder for his most recognizable trait: true story telling. One such experience involved color marking gulls at Fresh Kills landfill in N.Y. City proving that the gulls who scavenged there were the same ones who populated the runways of the nearby airports. When he lunched at a nearby deli during work few people seemed to take much notice of his fuchsia pink complexion with circles of undyed skin around his eyes. There was one notable exception when a woman at a nearby table remarked to Paul in her N.Y. accent, "I just l lo-o-o-ve that color on you." Ultimately the color marking resulted in airport actions to reduce the number of gulls threatening take-offs and landings. Even later, it may have contributed to the permanent closure of the largest landfill in the free world.

Paul was most proud of his daughter Kate. He was her go-to for conversations about nearly every topic: history, geography, the conundrums of daily life and practical solutions. Paul was kind, generous, honest and values-driven. No doubt he inspired and reinforced these qualities in his family and friends. Among his accomplishments was working with Warren Facey and 11 other neighbors to help bring together the protection of 13 contiguous properties totaling more than 700 acres under the "Leyden Working Farms and Forest Conservation Project" led by the Mt. Grace Land Trust.

In keeping with Paul's wishes, there will be no services. Donations may be made in his name to The Wildlife Society (wildlife.org/donate), of which Paul was a lifelong member, or to Mt. Grace Land Trust (mountgrace.org)

Kidder Funeral Home , 1 Parker Ave., Northfield, Mass is in charge of arrangements.