Obituary of William T O'Connor

William T. O’Connor 7/13/1937 – 4/8/2021 William (Bill) was born in New York City in 1937 to William and Margaret O’Connor (nee Loughran). After living in Queens, his family eventually settled in New Jersey. In September 1959, he married the love of his life, LaVerne O’Connor (nee Beer). Together, in Oakland, New Jersey, LaVerne and Bill raised their 4 children, William (Denise), Carol, Nancy (Mike) and James. Predeceased by his devoted wife LaVerne and his sister Margaret Schoenster, Bill is survived by his sister Elizabeth Cerbasi, his 4 children and their spouses, 8 grandchildren and his loving nieces and nephews. As evidenced by an 8th grade award for excellence in Shop Works from P.S. 57 in Queens, Bill could fix anything. Over his long career, Bill was proprietor of (owned an) HVAC service company and later managed the safe operations of a variety of corporate buildings, including the AT&T building in Basking Ridge, NJ and Bank of New York locations in NYC. In his retirement, Bill worked part-time at the Darlington Golf Course in Mahwah where he enjoyed working with friends and playing his favorite sport. Bill was also dedicated to his community. He served as President of the Hasbrouck Heights Jaycees and as Grand Knight of the Ramapo Valley Council of the Knights of Columbus in Oakland, NJ. Bill served as Boy Scout Leader for Troop 49 in Oakland and accompanied his sons Bill and Jim on a variety of outdoor adventures. Bill’s greatest love was for his family. His wife LaVerne was the light of his life and they enjoyed driving around the U.S. in their RV. He took immense pride in his daughters, sons and grandchildren and was a loving uncle and brother. Though his size and strength made him physically imposing, Bill had a gentle and kind heart and his spirit shone with innate decency and goodness. He will be dearly missed by all who had the honor of knowing him. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Oakland, NJ at 10 a.m. on April 10, 2021. ________________________________________