Obituary of Eileen B. O'Connor

Eileen “Irish” O’Connor

Eileen “Irish” O’Connor, 74, of Hawthorne, NJ passed away on Sunday, August 11, 2024 at St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Paterson, NJ. She was born on July 14, 1950 in Pomona, CA to the late Roger and Mary (Hayes) O’Connor of Glen Rock, NJ. She is survived by her sisters, Stacey Oliver and Mary O’Connor, and her brothers, Roger O’Connor and his spouse Pat, and Kevin O’Connor and his spouse Jeanie, along with nieces and nephews and cousins galore.

Eileen grew up in Glen Rock, NJ and graduated from Montclair State University in 1972, earning a degree in Spanish.  After graduation she traveled to Chile as an exchange student with The Experiment in International Living. There she was welcomed into a family that adopted her as a daughter with whom she still had strong ties. She was able to meet up with family members on multiple international trips.

Eileen worked at Herold’s Farm in Glen Rock, NJ and at Burroughs Welcome/Glaxo Smith Kline as a pharmaceutical sales representative and as one of their top sales trainers until her retirement.

An avid skier, Eileen was a member of Twin Hickory and Garden State Ski Clubs. She taught her nieces and nephews to ski and afforded them opportunities to travel with her to challenging mountains. And, always ready to have a great time and wearing an attention grabbing costume, Eileen would often participate in the end-of-season pond skimming competitions. She never won but she had a great time!

Eileen loved to go shark fishing with friends, sometimes making the catch of the day (or not). She was an avid gardener searching regional nurseries for new and different plants and perennials. There was always something beautiful blooming in her garden. She loved riding her motorcycle, Harry Honda, which had a custom checker-board paint job.

Eileen had a wonderful sense of humor and loved a good joke. Nieces and nephews could always depend on her for funny birthday cards which included M&Ms. As the Pied Piper, Aunt Eileen would take nieces and nephews on summer road trips to destinations unknown as long as there was a pool at the other end. She was always in attendance at their performances, recitals, track meets, and graduations. Her family and friends will miss her terribly.

A Funeral Mass celebrating Eileen’s life will be held on Saturday, October 12, 2024 at 10:00AM at St. Catherine’s Church located at 905 South Maple Avenue in Glen Rock, NJ 07452.