Philip James O'CONNOR

Philip James & Margaret Shea O'Connor

Philip James O’Connor, the 3rd child of Philip Joseph and Anne Elizabeth Deery O’Connor, was born on 21 Jan 1928 at St Joseph’s Riverside Hospital in Warren, Ohio.  He  grew up on Kenilworth Ave. in Warren, Ohio with his siblings, Mary, Anne, Paul and Margaret.  During his childhood, he was known as Bud or Buddy.  

Phil "Buddy" O'Connor 1940

While in high school, Phil worked as a photographer for The Tribune.  He enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard on 6 Feb 1946 and was discharged 11 May 1947. Although he was not Philip O'Connor, Jr.; his enlistment documents had him listed as “Philip James O’Connor, Jr.” and he signed his paperwork accordingly.   Following his release from the Coast Guard, Phil hitch-hiked from Alameda, California back to Ohio “a method of travel that he warmly recommends” according to the article in The Tribune.

In 1952, Phil graduated from Worcester Polytechnical Institute, the alma mater of his father, Philip Joseph.  He started working for Ashland Chemcal in Dec. 1954. 


After graduation, Phil shared a house in Scotch Plains, New Jersey with some other young bachelors looking to save some money.  In 1956, the guys had a party and, Jim Shea, one of the roommates invited his girlfriend, Jan, and his sister, Peggy to the party.  Jan and Peggy attended the party staying with mutual friends in Scotch Plains, New Jersey.  Apparently Peggy Shea caught Phil's eye and they soon began dating.

At that time, Peggy, daughter of Michael and Helen Shea, worked for American Airlines and lived in Jackson Heights, New York with some friends.  Phil had relatives in Worcester, Massachusetts and visited frequently.  Jim, Jan, Phil and Peg double dated often during that time.  They attended WPI homecoming and frat parties and had many good times.  Jan and Jim Shea were married March 2, 1957; and Phil and Peg were married September 7, 1957.  

Following a honeymoon in Bermuda, Phil and Peg started off their married life in Metuchen, New Jersey.   Around 1960 they moved to Wayne Court in Edison, New Jersey where they lived for the next eight years or so.  They later moved to Wyckoff, New Jersey where they lived for a year.  In 1970, they moved to Columbus, Ohio.

Five of their six children were born at St. Peter’s Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey.  The youngest child was born at Riverside Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

1. Anne Elizabeth   (b: 25 Jul  1958)  ~m~ Christopher Luvisi (Connor, Catherine)
2. Kathleen Mary    (b: 24 Aug 1959)   ~m~ Kurt Courter (Andrew, Colleen)
3. James Philip       (b: 24 Aug 1960)  ~m~ Karen Goddard(Katherine, Philip)
4. John Michael      (b: 21 Feb 1962)  ~m~ Megan Janusz (Braden, Kellan)
5. Maureen Beth     (b: 26 May 1966)  ~m~ Michael Smith (Grace, Griffin, Colin)
6. Megan Patricia    (b: 09 Nov 1970)  ~m~ Greg Tomczyk (Cara, Molly, Christopher)

For many years, Phil, Peg and family would spend 2 weeks each summer at Misquamicut Beach, Rhode Island.  They would meet friends, cousins and grandparents and the kids would have a great time hanging out on the beach, visiting the old Andrea Doria hotel for “Christmas in July”, waiting for the ice cream truck or watching Phil and Peg try to play tennis.  I remember walking the few blocks to the beach and just spending the entire day there.  "Sunscreen" was one of the boy's white Tshirts worn over your sunburned skin while you went swimming.  There were also summers spent visiting the Shea cousins in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

In May 1979, Phil and Peg took a long awaited trip to Ireland with their friends, Sully and Louise Sullivan.  They spent 2 weeks touring the Irish countryside.  Sadly, in Dec. 1979, Phil was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and died in June 1980.  

Peg and Phil in Ireland, 1979

In addition to raising six children, Peg was a member of the Christ Child Society at St. Andrew's Church and she volunteered at Children's Hospital.  Peg was also a talented seamstress and artist.  She spent many years working at a local fabric store and sewed many wonderful clothes, quilts and toys for her grandchildren.  From witches, princesses, clowns and super heros, she provided her grandchildren with many Halloween costumes.   

Peg's love of drawing and painting began as a teenager and throughout her life she honed her artistic talents ultimately choosing to concentrate on oil painting.  One of Peg's paintings won first place at a local art show and each of her children are proud owners of at least one of her paintings.   Peg died on 3 Jan 2009 from complication of Alzheimers Disease.

O'Connor, McHenry

Mary O'Connor

b:  Aug. 21, 1923
d:  Oct. 16, 1986

Mary Kathryn O'Connor was the oldest of Phil and Anne's children.  She worked as an accountant at a radio station.  Aunt Mary always seem to have a new car and her car was always clean.  She died in 1986 of liver cancer.

(1982 @Bill & Sandy McHenry's wedding)
Aunt Anne Timlin, Aunt Mary O'Connor, Peg O'Connor (mom)

Margaret O'Connor McHenry

b:  June 9, 1932
d:  Nov. 7, 2009

Margaret Jane was also a registered nurse.  She married William McHenry (Nov. 17, 1929 - May 4, 2017)  in 1956.  They had eight children.  Their 4th child, Robert James (Bobby), died in 1979 from complications of a bone marrow transplant to treat leukemia.

The best part of visiting Aunt Margie and Uncle Bill was being able to sleep in the camper they had parked at their house.

1. William (Bill, b: 1957 ) ~m~ Sandra Davis (Stacey, Andrea)
2. Margaret  (Peggy, b: 1958) ~m~ William Peterson (Danielle, Nicole, Emily)
3. Philip (b: 1959 ) ~m~ Kimberly Kovach (Matthew, Alyssa)
4. Robert (Bobby, b:  1960    d: 1979)
5. Paul (b: 1963 )  ~m~ Jody Shipman  (Connor, Keelee)
6. Brian (b: 1965) ~m~ Lori Roberts (Taylor, Lauren, Cassidy)
7. Kevin (b: 1966 ) ~m~ Gina Maranucci  (Kelly, Scott)
8. Mary Kay (b: 1971 ) ~m~ Thaddeus Tokash  (Liam, Jacob)

2010 (from facebook)
Back row: Kevin, Gina, Lori, Brian, Philip, Uncle Bill
Front row: Scott,  Taylor, Lauren,  Cassidy, Aunt Margie, Kelly

2012 - Peggy McHenry Peterson & Mary Kay McHenry Tokash  (from Facebook)

Philip Joseph O'CONNOR

Philip & Anne Deery O'Connor 

Born on 6 Aug 1895 , Philip Joseph O’Connor was the 3^rd child of Lawrence J. and Mary A. Fitzpatrick O’Connor.  He lived with his family on Apricot Street in Worcester, Massachusetts and attended Gates Lane School (which is the same school his future daughter-in-law, Margaret Shea, would attend many years later).  In 1917, Philip graduated from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (which is the same school his son, Philip, would graduate from many years later).

Philip O'Connor (bottom, left) at Gates Lane School, 9th Grade 1908-09

1913 South High School Yearbook

1917 Worcester Polytechnic Institute Yearbook

Philip enlisted in the Armed Forces on 29 May 1918, where he served in France as a member of the 301^st Water Tank Train.  This division supported units by providing drinkable water for humans and animals as well as water for washing and bathing. There were mobile water purification units in France in 1917-18 and this unit would have worked with them to transport water wherever it was needed. 

“A Water Tank Train or motor supply train consists of 75 men and a Captain and a Lieut. 77 all-together.  A train consists of 33 trucks making 33 drivers, each driver is a corporal. 33 assistant drivers who are 1st class privates. 1 truckmaster and one head mechanic who are 1st class Sergeants. 3 assistant truckmasters and 3 assistant mechanics who are all Sergeants. The extra man I think is what is called a signal man.   They drove trucks -- “white trucks” -- fitted with enormous water tanks.”    From “The Last of the Doughboys” by Richard Rubin (Houghton Mifflin publishers).    

As a Sergeant 1^st Class, Philip would have been a truckmaster or a head mechanic for the unit.   He was issued an Allied Victory Medal with the inscription: Meuse Argonne-Defensive Sector;  Great War for Civilization-March 27, 1920 and was discharged on 9 Jun 1919.

On 23 Aug 1922, Philip married a school teacher from Worcester, Massachusetts,  Anne Elizabeth Deery.  Anne,  the daughter of Edward Deery and Catherine Driscoll Deery,   was a 1917 graduate of the Worcester State Normal School. (A “Normal” school was a school created to train high school graduates to be teachers. Its purpose was to establish teaching standards or norms, hence its name.) She taught in a one room school house for one year in Rockville, Connecticut and, following that, taught in the Worcester City Schools until her marriage.   

Philip Jos. O'Connor & Anne Elizabeth Deery O'Connor

After their marriage, Philip and Anne went to live in Warren, Ohio where he was Superintendent of Water Purification.  They had five children

1.      Mary Kathryn           b:  21 Aug 1923     d:  16 Oct 1986

2.      Anne Therese          b:  11 Mar 1926    

3.      Philip James (Bud)   b:  21 Jan 1928     d:  12 Jun 1980

4.      John Paul                b:  29 Aug 1930     

5.      Margaret Jane          b:   9 Jun 1932     d:   7 Nov 2009

1936 - Anne(10), Mary (12), Phil (8), Paul (5), Margaret (3)

Back row (L to R):  Anne Therese, Philip James, Margaret Jane,
Front row (L to R): Anne Elizabeth, Phlip Joseph, Mary Katherine, John Paul

Philip suffered a sudden heart attack and died on 14 Feb 1955.  He is buried in St. Mary’s Cemetery in Warren, Ohio. 

Grandma O'Connor's trip to Rome, Italy in 1955 made such an impression on her that she penned a detailed account of the trip to her classmates at the Worcester State Normal School on the occasion of their 50th reunion.  On that trip, she traveled to Rome, Italy with her brothers, Monsignor James Deery and Paul J. Deery, and two of her daughters.    They sailed on The Constitution from New York, visited Gibralter, Portugal, Madrid, Spain and Cannes, France.  They then traveled on to Rome by way of Monte Carlo and Genoa.  Once in Rome, they attended the Ordination of Anne's son, Paul, to the Catholic priesthood at the American College.  They were honored to have a private audience with Pope Pius XII.  They sailed home on the Andrea Doria from Naples in February, 1956.

I remember that Grandma O'Connor and Aunt Mary had this large statue of a saint sitting on the upstairs landing in their house.  It was creepy and I always had to run past it so it wouldn't reach out and "get" me.  Grandma O'Connor would also make us peanut butter and butter sandwiches for the drive back home after we came for a visit.  I don't think any of us kids liked them.  Here's a picture of my dad sitting on a picnic table eating one though. Blech.

Grandma O'Connor with  grandchildren,
Anne, Jim, Jack and Kathy O'Connor

Anne died on 20 Aug 1970 of coronary arteriosclerosis.