Born on January 7, 1937, Dennis was the son of Albert and Edna O'Neil. He attended High School in Lorain, Ohio, where he met Vilma, his wife. They were married for 64 years.
Dennis joined the Navy a year after High School and retired as an E-8, after 20 years of service. Most of his time in the Navy was spent on the West Coast and in the Pacific Rim. A few months after his retirement, he went to work for the Federal Bureau of Prisons. He was a Personnel Management Specialist, and retired from the Bureau after 20 years. While working, he went back to school, and earned a Degree in Criminology from Indiana State University.
In 1990, while living in Lexington, KY, he was Ordained a Deacon in the Catholic Church. He was an active member of the Diocese there and then in the Diocese in St. Augustine, FL. He also served the Lord and the Navy at the Mayport Naval Station.
Dennis is survived by his son, Dennis J. O'Neil II (Trina); daughters, Erin and Leslie; grandchildren, Julia Harvey (Ryan) and Zachary Snow; and great-grandson, Oliver Harvey. He is also survived by his sister, Margaret; and sister in-law Wadena O'Neil; as well as their children; and the family he adopted as his own, Dwayne, Meka, and their daughter, Brittanie.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Albert and Edna; his brother, Michael; an infant son, Christopher; and his Beloved Wife, Vilma.
Visitation will be held at St. Bartholomew Catholic Church in Columbus, from 9-10 am, on May 29, 2025. A Memorial Mass will immediately follow at 10:00 a.m. with Rev. Chris Wadelton as celebrant. Friends and Family are welcomed to attend. A private inurnment will be at the Indiana Veteran's Memorial Cemetery, Madison.
Please leave fond memory of Dennis at www.Hathaway-Myers.com.
Hathaway-Myers Chapel on Pearl Street is serving the O’Neil family.
