John J. O'Connor

Waltham - Mr. John J. O'Connor, of Waltham, died Friday, July 27, 2012 at the Dorothy Frances House in Waltham. He was 85.

Born on July 13, 1927 in Eagle Center, Iowa, he was the son of the late John J. and Leora (Wassom) O'Connor. In 1938, the family moved to Raymond Iowa, where he was raised and learned farming; he always remained an Iowa farm boy at heart. He was drafted in 1945 in to the United States Army and served in the Far East Command (Korea). After returning he attended and graduated from Gates Business College in Waterloo, Iowa. In 1950, he was recalled to Korea for active duty and served honorably until discharge in 1951. After the war, he joined the New York Life Insurance company as a sales agent in Waterloo, Iowa, until moving to Allen, Texas in 1957. Texas provided him with a career at Texas Instruments while simultaneously owning and operating a Laundromat with good friends.

He moved to Waltham in 1966, took a position at Unitrode Corporation in Watertown and later Raytheon Corporation, retiring in 1992.

In 1971, he married Jeannine M. (Vachon) O'Connor and shared 25 years of marriage before her death on January 6, 1997. He was devoted to his wife and family. He will be remembered as a man of great faith, a generous heart, and a hard worker who enjoyed the art of conversation. He was a life member of the John M. Sullivan VFW Post 10334.

He leaves his children, Michele M. Daly and her husband, Joel, and John J. O'Connor III and his wife, Christina, all of Waltham; his only grandchild, John J. O'Connor IV; his siblings, Alice M. Smith of Sumner, Iowa, James M. O'Connor of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, Margaret A. Sauter of Apple Valley, California, Col. Mark D. O'Connor USMC Ret. of O'Fallon, Illinois, and Vincent R. O'Connor of Waltham who was also his best friend; also survived by many nieces & nephews.

Family and friends will honor and remember John's life by gathering for calling hours in The Joyce Funeral Home, 245 Main Street (Rte. 20), Waltham on Wednesday, August 1st from 4 to 8 p.m. and again at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday morning before leaving in procession to Saint Luke's Church, 132 Lexington Street, Belmont, where his Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. Burial will follow in Mount Feake Cemetery.

Memorial donations may be made to The Dorothy Frances Home, 704 Beaver Street, Waltham, MA 02452. The Dorothy Frances Home is an assisted living home for those with Alzheimer's disease.