Laurie Daphne O'Connor

Laurie is survived by her husband, Bill; daughter, Abigail; son, Sean; as well as her brother, Kenneth Bean; and her sister, Jennifer Thomas, both of Schuylerville, New York. She is preceded in death by her father, Douglas Bean and her mother, Jean Hope Bean.

Laurie was born on April 24th, 1963, in Sharon, Connecticut. She graduated from Schuylerville High School in 1981, SUNY Potsdam University in 1985 and Springfield College in 1986 with a Master’s degree. She then started her 20+ year military career as an Army communications officer at Ft Gordon, GA. She met Bill while in the Army and they were married in 1995. They moved to Hawaii where they started their family on June 17th, 1998, when Abby was born. Shortly after, they relocated to Heidelberg, Germany where they became a family of four when Sean was born on November 9th, 2000.

Through the military she moved seven more times and made lifelong friends everywhere she went. In 2004 Laurie and Bill bought their long-term family home in Springfield, VA where she became part of the close-knit Chars Landing Ct neighborhood community. Laurie retired from the Army in 2007, but that did not stop her from picking up various odd jobs over the years because she always enjoyed staying busy. They had a few more moves as part of Bill’s Army career but always returned home to Springfield. Laurie was excited to be stationed in both Korea and Germany, where she was able to travel around Asia and Europe with her family and make friends around the world. After their final move back to VA, Laurie started a 2nd career in program management with BAH supporting the European theater, which allowed Laurie to work remotely.

In 2020, they bought their dream vacation home on Cape Cod, Massachusetts where she spent many hours working on her gardens, walking the beach with her dogs, quality time with family, reading while floating in the pool, hosting countless friends, listening to the waves, and watching sunsets on the beach.

She spent her time between Cape Cod and Virginia, where she picked up new hobbies and started playing golf (of course, not with Bill) and pickleball. Laurie enjoyed spending time with friends over coffee, a glass of wine, at happy hours, attending shows, and traveling to destinations like Ireland, Italy, Utah, and St. Thomas.

Her greatest joy in life was spending time with Bill, Abby and Sean. Laurie loved spending time together during holidays, going to sporting events, skiing, and traveling around the world where they made amazing memories. Laurie spent the last week of her life doing what she loved most: spending time with her family on a holiday beach vacation.

Laurie’s service is scheduled for 2:30 January 11th at Demaine funeral home in Springfield VA, with a reception to follow at Springfield Country Club.

A visitation for Laurie will be held Saturday, January 11, 2025 from 2:30 PM to 4:15 PM at Demaine Funeral Home, 5308 Backlick Road, Springfield, VA 22151. A funeral service will occur Saturday, January 11, 2025 from 4:15 PM to 5:00 PM, 5308 Backlick Road, Springfield, VA 22151.

Reception will occur Saturday, January 11, 2025 from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM at Springfield Golf & Country Club, 8301 Old Keene Mill Rd, West Springfield, VA 22152.

If you would like to make a donation to honor Laurie, please send donations to The Wounded Warrior Project.