James William Joseph O'Neill

James William Joseph O’Neill, 85, our dad, papa and great-grandfather, passed into the loving arms of Jesus with his family beside him on Sunday, October 30th 2016. Jim is now with his loving wife of 49 years, Irene O'Neill. Born in Providence, Rhode Island, he was deeply loved by his entire family and his many friends.

He made an incredible impact on everyone he met and his laugh was contagious. He played the violin beautifully and also had an amazing singing voice and many family gatherings were filled with music.

Jim was a kind, generous, loving father to his five children. He is survived by his son, Kevin O’Neill and his wife, Patsy; his daughters, Karen Efstathiou and her husband Nick, Kelly Kasper and her husband Ken, Kathy Colwell and her husband Bobby, Krissy Goss and her husband Ron. Jim had eleven grandchildren, Vanessa, Nathan, Leland, Jody, James, George, Daryll, Rachel, Patrick, Kyle and Kayla, and five great-grandchildren, Michaela, Elijah, Harper, Abby and Hudson.

Jim was a veteran of the Korean War as a member of the Air Force. He worked for 28 years with McDonald Douglas in management where he oversaw 20 engineers. After retiring from McDonald Douglas, he then became a realtor in Maggie Valley, North Carolina where he successfully sold homes and properties until he and our mom moved back to Florida to officially retire.

The family would like to thank Courtenay Springs staff and especially the Vitas Hospice staff.

The Celebration of Life will be held for Jim on Saturday, November 5, 2016 at 4pm at the Life Event Center at Florida Memorial, 5950 South US Highway 1, Rockledge, FL with a military burial to immediately follow at Florida Memorial Gardens. A reception to immediately follow.

This is a celebration of our dad’s life, so please wear your IRISH GREENS!

The family asks that in lieu of flowers, a donation may be made in Jim’s honor to Hope Helps Inc, a non-profit organization in Oviedo, Florida that was founded by his daughter, Krissy. Jim loved to volunteer at HOPE when he was able and was very passionate about the organization. The address for Hope Helps is 812 Eyrie Drive, Oviedo, Florida 32765, or you can go to www.HOPEHelps.org.