Obituary of Eugene Kenneth O’Connor

Eugene Kenneth O’Connor, age 86, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, May 3rd, 2022, with his wife, Helen, by his side. Eugene was born on November 3rd, 1935, in Gaspereaux, PEI. He was predeceased by his mother Clara, father Arthur, sisters Helen and Mary, and brothers Arthur and Leonard. He is survived by his children, grandchildren, a sister Cecelia and numerous nieces and nephews. He was a man of a worldly education in his early years, as he left school when he was 14 to move to the large city of Charlottetown to work in the grocery business. At the young age of 17, he enrolled in the Canadian Military and took great pride in his service in the Korean conflict. He returned to PEI and attended the Prince of Wales College in Charlottetown. Upon graduation he entered the automotive service industry, in which he worked in both PEI and NB. Following his return from Korea in 1954, he began dating Helen after meeting her at a dance in Montague, PEI. They married in 1959, and had three children: Colleen (Stephen), Suzanne (Mark) and Shawn (Angie). Gene proved to be the most loving and caring husband and father in the world. Gene was meticulous with many things, but his true passion was his grandchildren Ryan, Nicoletta, Isaac, Sophia, Graham, and Ellen. Gene soon expanded his skill sets to be an expert boiled egg maker, and best pancake chef ever. The grandkids never dirtied their socks when they were younger, as Grampy always carried them around. The adoration was mutual. Gene’s other interests included volunteering at the Royal Canadian Legion, singing in the Legion choir, wood working and tinkering around our family cottage on PEI. The family would like to extend a very heartfelt thank you to all the staff at the Fredericton Veterans’ Health Unit for the outstanding care they provided to Gene. He could often be heard saying he loved it there, as everyone was so nice to him, and that the food was great! There will be a visitation for Gene at McAdam’s Funeral Home on Monday, May 9th from 2PM to 4PM and 6PM to 8PM. The family requests that masks be worn to visitation. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Dunstan’s Catholic Church in Fredericton, NB, on Tuesday, May 10th at 10AM. In accordance with the church’s policies, attendees must wear masks while in the church. For those unable to attend, a livestream of the service will be available at the following link: https://vimeo.com/707771688. In the event of technical issues, a recording of the service will be available the following day at the same link. Interment will take place at Forest Hill Cemetery, in their Field of Honour, at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to the Fredericton Royal Canadian Legion’s Poppy Fund or to a charity of your choice.