William Harvey O'Connor

Born July 22, 1941 in Baltimore, the oldest child of Irma Heintz O’Connor and William Harvey O’Connor, Jr.

Bill moved to Towson from Forest Park at the age of 12 and graduated in 1959 from Towson High School, where he ran track and cross country. He graduated with a BS degree in electrical engineering from the Johns Hopkins University in 1963. At Hopkins, he was enrolled in ROTC and as a member of the Pershing Rifles drill team, he marched in the inaugural parade of John F. Kennedy, representing the Panama Canal Zone. He also received a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Management from Hopkins in 1971. Bill was married in 1963 to Susan Fulkerson O’Connor in Towson, with close cousin Jack Gerlach of Cleveland, Ohio serving as best man.

He served on active duty with the US Army Ordinance Corps from 1964 to 1966 as a Lieutenant and was stationed in Germany. After his return from Germany, he worked for 38 years for the Black and Decker Corporation in various engineering capacities. With Black and Decker, he spent five years in Fayetteville, NC; six years in Raleigh, NC; and the remaining years in Towson. In the course of his distinguished engineering career, he received five patents from the US Patent office. Representing Black and Decker, he was Safety Chair of the national Power Tool Institute. Bill retired from Black and Decker in 2002 as Vice President of Engineering Operations of the North American Power Tool Group.

An Eagle Scout, he served as a Cub Scout Leader and Assistant Scout Master in Fayetteville and Raleigh. He was extremely active in numerous church congregations, including Holy Communion Lutheran Church in Fallston, MD where he served as chair of its building committee, finance committee, chair of two pastoral call committees, and served three terms on the Congregational Council, most recently ending in January.

A strong advocate of diversity, Bill was a member of the Board of Directors of Advancing Minorities’ Interest in Engineering (AMIE) from 1996 to 2002, an organization of industry representatives and the deans of the engineering schools of the historically black colleges and universities. He was also a current member of the ELCA Delaware-Maryland Synod’s Racial Justice Ministry Team, having served since 2008.

He enjoyed playing the piano by ear, traveling, attending the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the theatre, and playing golf, with a highlight “hole in one” on March 23, 2001 at Geneva Farms.

Bill cherished his family and friends and was a loving and proud father, grandfather, brother, uncle and devoted husband, presiding as patriarch of multiple happy family gatherings. He is survived by his beloved wife of 53 years, Susan Fulkerson O’Connor; daughter Elizabeth O’Connor Seely (spouse Collin) of Columbus, Ohio; son John William O’Connor (spouse Tiffany) of Darien, Connecticut; grandchildren Kristen, Faith, and Daniel Seely and Catherine and Clara O’Connor; sisters Sharon O’Connor of Towson and Dale O’Connor Newhart (spouse Chip) of Annapolis; brother Robert O’Connor (spouse Jan) of Forest Hill; sister-in-law Dorothy Carter (spouse Kent) of San Antonio, Texas; six nieces and nephews; nine great nieces and nephews; and multiple cousins.

Relatives and friends may gather at the Schimunek Funeral Home of Bel Air, Inc. 610 West MacPhail Road, Bel Air, MD 21014 on Wednesday from 2 – 4 pm and 6 – 8 pm. Funeral service will be held at the Holy Communion Lutheran Church 621 Old Fallston Road, Fallston, MD 21047 on Thursday at 10 am. Internment at Druid Ridge Cemetery. If desired, contributions may be made to Holy Communion Lutheran Church P.O. Box 55 Fallston, MD 21047 or to Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake 3741 Commerce Drive Suite 309 Baltimore, MD 21227. On-line tributes may be left at www.schimunekfuneralhomes.com.