William “Bill” Edward O’Connor, a WWII veteran who witnessed the raising of the American Flag on Iwo Jima and was a pioneering member of the NASA team which put the first man on the Moon, passed from this life on January 26, 2011. He was born in Washington, D.C. on January 18, 1923, the second of three children of Ruth Rabbit O’Connor and William Jennings O’Connor. Bill’s father, who was supporting three families as an automobile mechanic during the Great Depression, died in an automobile pedestrian accident when Bill was 9 years old and the family struggled to survive. Bill worked as a soda jerk to help the family and joined the naval reserves at 16. When he was 17 he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and entered active duty January 1, 1941. He served on the USS J. Fred Talbott, a World War I era destroyer that operated along the Atlantic coast and in the Caribbean protecting American shipping and the Panama Canal during World War II. Bill was transferred to the destroyer USS Hyman (DD-732) in 1945 and witnessed the raising of the American flag at the top of Mount Suribachi in the Battle of Iwo Jima. He often told the story of how the Hyman’s searchlights kept the slope of Mount Suribachi illuminated for the Marines’ final push to the top of the peak, which was soon to fly the American flag. Bill later survived an attack on the Hyman near Okinawa when a kamikaze hit the ship leaving 12 US sailors dead and 40 wounded. Following World War II Bill began work at the Naval Ordinance Lab. In 1947 he met Paris France when Paris came to his mother’s house to help plan a bridal shower for her sister who was to marry a cousin of Bill’s stepfather. Bill and Paris married on Valentine’s Day in 1948. In 1951 Bill was recalled to military service and worked on the commissioning and shake-down cruise of the USS Currituck, and served for 18 months in Cuba. In 1960 Bill was given a once in a lifetime opportunity to join a new endeavor of the United States – to put a man on the Moon. He became a part of the staff of NASA at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD, and worked as a power plant engineer for all of the space flight missions through 1978. He served as a part of the mission team for each of the Apollo space flights including Apollo 11. Bill and Paris built a home in Howard County, MD in 1956. In 1960 their daughter Catherine Ruth was born and eighteen months later Melissa Ann. Bill loved hunting and fishing and raised beagles and bird dogs. When Melissa was 7, he bought the family’s first horse, which began a love of horses by his children and grandchildren that continues to this day. Bill was a devoted father and husband and the family spent weekends and vacations camping, going to the beach, having picnics and crab feasts in the backyard and riding horses. In 1978, Bill retired from NASA and decided to try ranching in Oklahoma. Bill, Paris and Melissa moved to Tecumseh Oklahoma in 1978 where they raised horses, cows and grandchildren. Bill continued to hunt quail, learned to play golf and took care of his family. Throughout his life he was a man of quiet integrity and tolerance. He raised his daughters to believe they could accomplish anything they desired and instilled in them the importance of family, friends and service to others. His family will miss him greatly and will always cherish the memories of the charmed childhood he gave to his children and grandchildren. The things he valued most were his wife, Paris, his children, his grandchildren and his service to his country. Bill is survived by his wife Paris, his daughter Catherine O’Connor, his daughter Melissa Walker and her husband Kevin Walker, his granddaughter Meredith Walck Wolfe and her husband Michael Wolfe, his granddaughter Rachel Ginter, and grandsons Clinton Walker and John William Jennings Walker. He is also survived by his sister and her husband Rose and William Clark of Clinton, MD; his brother Eugene Donald O’Connor and his wife Kena of Roanoke, VA; and many nieces and nephews. The family thanks the staff of Quail Ridge Assisted Living, Bellevue Nursing Center and especially the fine nurses and doctors of St. Anthony’s Hospital. Memorial donations can be made to the St. Anthony’s Hospital Foundation, 826 NW 11th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73106, or to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund online at www.fallenheroesfund.org or mailing address at Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, ATTN: Contributions, One Intrepid Square, West 46th Street & 12th Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10036. Bill’s visitation will begin Saturday, January 29th from 12:00pm to 5:00pm and Sunday, January 30th from 10:00am to 6:00pm. Bill was a longtime Methodist. His services will be held Monday, January 31st, 2011 at 2pm at the First United Methodist Church of Seminole, OK located at 910 W. Wrangler Blvd under the direction of Resthaven Funeral Home- for additional information please visit our website at www.resthavenfh.com
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