Kevney John O'Connor Jr.

1926 - 2024

Kevney John O'Connor Jr. "Kev" passed away peacefully on July 3, 2024, at the age of 98. Kev was a longtime resident of Arlington, Virginia. Kev is survived by his sons, Andy and Rod O'Connor; step-children, Eve Murty (Jim), Kelly Baker (Whitney Ellerman), and Charlie Baker (MaryAnne); grandchildren, Michael and Jacob; and eight step-grandchildren and nine step-great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his parents, Kevney Sr. and Margaret O'Connor; his six siblings; and the love of his life, Pamela (nee Kendrick).
Kev was born on January 14, 1926 in Scarsdale, NY. He graduated from Scarsdale High School, where he was a star athlete and an Eagle Scout. Immediately upon graduating in 1943, Kev enlisted in the US Army to fight in World War II. After attending Officer Candidate School, Kev was commissioned as the youngest 2nd Lieutenant in the US Army. As an airborne officer, he was supposed to be sent to Europe, but instead he was sent to fight in the jungles of the Philippines as a company commander in the Army's elite 6th Ranger Battalion. His Battalion saw heavy fighting and it conducted the successful raid to free American POWs s from the Japanese prison camp at Cabanatuan in 1945 (the "Ghost Soldiers" rescue).
Following the war, Kev enrolled at Oberlin College, where he played both football and lacrosse. Kev was among the most decorated football players in Oberlin history. He played both offense and defense and as the team's quarterback he set numerous passing records that took decades to break. Oberlin remained near and dear to Kev's heart: he was a founder and later president of the Oberlin Heisman Club and the generous benefactor of several student scholarship funds.
Upon graduation from Oberlin in 1951, Kev was immediately recalled to military service in the Korean war. The Army recalled him for his "special airborne qualification" and assigned him to the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team. As a paratrooper, Kev made several combat jumps, including in Haean Basin, known as the Punchbowl. Following his service in Korea, Kev began a successful career in marketing: he was a senior marketing executive at a major government contractor in California, and then in 1972 he founded his own marketing consulting firm in Alexandria, Virginia.
Kev remained passionate about athletics his entire life. He was a competitive and accomplished tennis player until the final decade of his life. Some of his closest friendships were formed on the tennis courts of Washington Golf & Country Club in Arlington, Va. Kev was always extremely fit and worked out daily until the final years of his life. When many men his age were entering retirement age, Kev would entertain friends by doing push-ups from a handstand position.
Kev was a member of Washington Golf for 45 years. It was the center of his active social life and is where he met his wife, Pam. Kev and Pam had many close friends at Washington Golf and they enjoyed traveling and playing golf around the world with a number of them. Kev was also actively involved in the Wounded Warriors Project, and he would regularly entertain injured veterans and their families at dinner.
A funeral service is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 27 at St. Mary's Episcopal Church, 2609 N Glebe Rd., Arlington, VA with a reception to follow at Washington Golf & Country Club. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Lawyers for the People, an organization dedicated to protecting the legal rights of children with disabilities.
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