John R. O'Connor

JOHN ROBERT O'CONNOR John passed peacefully at home on May 23rd surrounded by family and in view of Long Island Sound which gave him so much joy for so many years. He was born in New Haven, CT on September 16, 1944, to Doris and Robert "Okie" O'Connor, growing up on Lombard Street in Fair Haven and spending summers at the family cottage in Branford. He met Jean Charlotte, the love of his life, in Short Beach at age 18. They married in 1966 and resided in Branford for their entire 58 years of marriage, the last 25 years at their home in Sunrise Cove. To his sorrow, his beloved Jean pre-deceased him in December 2024. Together they lovingly raised sons Jeff and Sean and welcomed daughters-in-law Kristin Wildermann and Lisa Friedlander to the family. His greatest pride was his beloved grandchildren Paul, Daniel, Rowan and Meaghan who each brought joy to his life. He shared his love with his extended family including sisters-in-law Virgina Charlotte and Patricia Dickinson (Ken), nieces Krista Depukat (David) and Kelly Dickinson, and nephews Kyle Dickinson (Alicia Michaud) and Erik Kousen (Kayla). John graduated from St. Francis grammar school and Wilbur Cross High School and received his BA, MS and Sixth Year Certification from Southern Connecticut State University. At SCSU, John was a four-year member of the swim team under legendary coach Bruce Hutchinson. He achieved NCAA college all-American honors and was a school record holder. John's career began as an elementary and special education teacher in West Haven and Branford and he was a school psychologist in Branford for almost three decades. In the 1970s, he served as President and chief negotiator of the Branford Education Association during tense negotiations to improve teacher pay and benefits. John also served on the Board of the Branford Counseling Center. In his retirement, he completed his 50-year dedication to the Branford School System as Vice-Chairman of the Board of Education and a member of the Walsh Intermediate School Building Committee. He was inducted in 2002 into the Branford Education Hall of Fame. His real passion, after his family, was swimming. Coach O'C shared his love of swimming with the community as a founding coach of the Branford Stingrays and as Pool Director for many summers at the Pine Orchard Club. In 1975, he became coach of the Branford High Boys Swim Team which he led for 18 years and in 1980 he coached the first of 27 seasons for the Girls Swim Team. His teams won a total of 15 state championships and included over 200 swimmers who achieved All-State recognition and 12 All-Americans. Due to the success of his swimmers, he received awards as CT and Northeast coach of the year and in 2007 was named the National Swim Coach of the Year from the National High School Coaches Association. He served as president of the CT High School Coaches Association and the CT Swim Coaches Association and was inducted into the CT Coaches Hall of Fame and the Branford Sports Hall of Fame. In 2006, the Walsh Intermediate School pool was named the "John R. O'Connor Pool" in his honor. John thanks his family and friends who did so much to support him and Jean these past two years, especially caregivers Nicole and Shauna from Family Matters LLC and his Hospice Nurse Carrie. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory can be made to the John and Jean O'Connor Scholarship Fund with the Branford Community Foundation, PO Box 462, Branford CT 06405 or at www.branfordcommunityfoundation.org Visiting hours will be from 4-7 pm on May 30th at W.S. Clancy Memorial Funeral Home, 244 North Main Street, Branford. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. John Bosco Parish in St. Therese Church, 105 Leetes Island Road, Branford at 10 AM on May 31st. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of John, please visit our floral store.