RET FDNY FF DANIEL O'CONNELL, 80
Staten Island Advance By Staten Island Advance
on April 17, 2014 at 11:30 AM, updated April 17, 2014 at 12:54 PM
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Daniel Douglas O?Connell, 80, of Concord, a retired FDNY firefighter and loving patriarch who was dedicated to his family and his community, died Tuesday at home.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, he graduated from St. Francis Preparatory School, where he played fullback on the football team. He moved to Concord in 1962.
After high school, Mr. O?Connell joined the Navy and was trained in communications. He was stationed in Adak, Alaska, for a year, then served stateside in Arlington, Va.
After his honorable discharge in 1955, he worked as a teletype operator for Francis I. DuPont and Co. in Manhattan.
In 1957, Mr. O?Connell began his 27-year career with the Fire Department. He was assigned to Ladder Co. 157 and Ladder Co. 148, both Brooklyn, Ladder Co. 80, West Brighton, and retired in 1984 from Ladder Co. 76, Tottenville. He was a member of the FDNY Emerald Society and the FDNY Retirees.
While in the FDNY, he earned an associate?s degree and a bachelor?s degree in transportation management from St. John?s University, Grymes Hill. He also received a certificate in fire marshal science from John Jay College, Manhattan, and was certified as an emergency medical technician by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
After retiring, he worked as a salesman for 10 years at the former New Dorp Lumber Co.
Mr. O?Connell was very active in the community. He served as the first president of the Concord Civic Association, was a past commander and vice commander of the Beauvais Hudson Post, American Legion, and belonged to the South Shore Swim Club, where he served three terms on the board of directors.
He was a member of Stolzenthaler Council, Knights of Columbus, a volunteer at Sea View Hospital Rehabilitation Center and Home, and belonged to the Elks Lodge, Greenridge.
A sports enthusiast since his youth, Mr. O?Connell was a member of the Early Bird Golf Club and an officer in the Stapleton Athletic Club. He managed and coached various baseball teams in the 1960s and 1970s. He also enjoyed playing golf and watching the New York Mets and Giants on television.
Mr. O?Connell enjoyed spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
He was a parishioner of St. Sylvester?s R.C. Church, Concord, where he belonged to the Holy Name Society and Youth Council. He also managed and coached basketball teams at St. Sylvester?s and for CYO intramural leagues.
Surviving are his wife of 57 years, the former Patricia Ann Lynch; his sons, Kenneth, Brian and Michael; nine grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.
The funeral will be Saturday from the Hanley Funeral Home, New Dorp, with a blessing at 10 a.m. in St. Sylvester?s Church. Burial will follow in Resurrection Cemetery, Pleasant Plains.
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REST IN PEACE BROTHER...THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE BOTH MILITARY & FDNY.....PRAYERS FOR THE COMFORT OF THE FAMILIES.
