John William O'Connor's Obituary
John William O’Connor passed away on November 20, 2023. John [Jack to his family] was born on June 9, 1927 in New York. He was the son of Thomas O’Connor and Rose Gertrude O’Connor (née McCullough). John was a member of a Roman Catholic religious order and served in Africa and Ireland. In Switzerland he met Mary Virginia Fitzgerald, a Roman Catholic nun who was directing a study abroad program in Fribourg. Together he and Mary Virginia left the Catholic Church and were married. They lived for many years in Bethesda, Maryland where they enjoyed entertaining friends and long walks with their English sheepdogs. During this time John was active in politics especially as a campaigner for Democratic candidates.
Several years after Mary Virginia’s sudden death in 2001, John moved from Bethesda to Leesburg, Virginia to be closer to Carey Cansler Roberts and her family. Carey, who was a well-known author of historical fiction, and John shared an interest in books and history. They enjoyed many years together traveling and spending time in Charleston, South Carolina where Carey had strong ties. After Carey’s death in 2016 John continued to travel and to visit with friends in this country and in Europe. In Leesburg John also developed deep and sustaining friendships, in particular with neighbors in River Creek Community, to add to the long list of friends he had accumulated in his earlier years. John remained an avid reader up to his final days, with a strong interest in philosophy and religion, and he spent the last years of his life studying and writing about the work of the French writer Michel de Montaigne.
A memorial service in John’s honor will be held at Loudoun Funeral Chapel, 158 Catoctin Circle, Leesburg , VA on Saturday, February 3, 2024. Visitation 10:30-11:00 and Service at 11:00 am.
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