Edward Leary O'Connor of Manchester, NH died in his home on August 9, 2019 at the age of 89 after a five-year struggle with Parkinson's disease. He was surrounded by his loving family.
Ed is survived by his devoted wife of 63 years, Elizabeth, and five children and their spouses: Daniel and his wife, Jayne, of Manchester, Alice and her husband, Stephen Lubelczyk, of Manchester, Carol and her husband, David Fischer, of Medfield, MA, Nancy and her wife, Ellen Litman, of San Francisco, CA, and Beth and her husband, Charles Morrissette, of Franklin, MA. He is also survived by 12 grandchildren: Kathryn O'Connor and her husband, Adam Sinoway, Nicholas O'Connor and his wife, Sophie Allen, Maria O'Connor and her husband, Stavros Bozampalis, Peter O'Connor, Colin, Kevin, and Michael Lubelczyk, Bridget, Jay, and Paul Fischer, and Connor and Rose Morrissette. He is survived as well by three great-grandsons, Teddy, Jay, and Oliver Sinoway. Other family members include his brother, John O'Connor and his wife, Carole, of Andover, MA, his sister, Rosemary Hogarty of Kihei, HI, his cousin, Mary Leary of North Andover, MA, and many other cousins, nieces and nephews. In addition, Ed had many lifelong friends from college, Moody Beach, ME, Manomet, MA, and Manchester, NH.
Ed was born on June 11, 1930 in Lowell, MA to Edward and Rose O'Connor. He graduated from Phillips Andover in 1948 and from Yale University in 1952. After serving in the Navy for several years, he married Elizabeth O'Connor in 1955. He began his career at Merrill Lynch in Stamford, CT, but he and Betty eventually moved to Manchester where they raised their five children on Mayflower Drive.
Ed was the co-owner of New Hampshire Explosives and Machinery, Corporation in Concord, NH, which he ran successfully for many years with his friend and brother-in-law, Jay P. O'Connor.
Ed will be joyfully remembered for his remarkable generosity, his humility, his fun-loving nature and his great sense of humor. Ed and Betty's long and happy marriage is an inspiring example to their children and grandchildren.
Sincere thanks to Ed's caregivers, Veronica Lesmond and Marie Desire, as well as Bev Koster and Line Gardner from Visiting Angels, and the wonderful team from Home, Health and Hospice Care led by Karen Bannon. The family appreciates the incredible kindness these women showed during Ed's illness.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Tuesday, August 13, 2019 at St. Catherine of Siena Parish, 267 Webster St., Manchester, NH. Committal prayers followed at St. Augustine's Cemetery in Andover, MA in a private ceremony.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Ed's name may be made to New Horizons for NH, 199 Manchester St., Manchester, NH 03101, or at www.newhorizonsnh.org.