Obituary for Thomas D. "Tom" O'Connor
Thomas D. "Tom" O'Connor Denison, Iowa - Thomas D. "Tom" O'Connor, 62, od Denison, Iowa passed away Tuesday, January 28, 2014, at his home in Denison following long term health issues. The funeral service will be Saturday, February 1, 2014, at 11:00 a.m. at the Armstrong Funeral Home in Mapleton with Rev. Scott Jensen officiating. Burial will be in St. Clair Cemetery at Ute, Iowa. Visitation will be Friday, January 31 after 5:00 p.m. with a prayer service at 7:00 p.m. at the Armstrong Funeral Home in Mapleton. The family is receiving condolences on line at www.armstrongfuneral.com. Thomas David O'Connor was born in Iowa City, Iowa December 8, 1951, the son of Clarence "Bud" and Geraldine (Armstrong) O'Connor. He grew up in Mapleton, was baptized and confirmed at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Mapleton and graduated from Maple Valley High School with the class of 1970. During high school he worked at Moore Brothers Grocery Store.ξ On April 8, 1972, Tom married Carol Sands at St. Matthew Lutheran Church. They had two sons and one daughter.ξ While living in Mapleton, Tom worked at IBP in Dakota City, NE. He later worked at Floyd Valley Packing and John Morrell in Sioux City, having moved to Moville, Iowa. They moved to Fort Morgan, CO where he worked at Sterling Beef for a short time, returned to Iowa and worked at Midwest Industries in Ida Grove and West Central Coop in Ralston, IA. Tom and Carol moved to Denison in 1996, where he worked at Farmland and lastly as an Assistant Manager at No Frills until declining health warranted his early retirement.ξ In his early adulthood, Tom enjoyed tinkering on cars and grew to be a faithful fan of professional wrestling. In the Denison area, he discovered he had fun playing Bingo at the various local communities on their Bingo nights and also playing pinball on the computer. His all time favorite snack was Crunchy Cheetos, especially after his doctor gave him the green light to eat them. Tom received a heart transplant 11 years ago and experienced the ups and downs of all that goes along with it, but overall truly appreciated that anonymous gift. It gave Tom and the entire family time to share God's greatest gifts, such as the birth of multiple grandchildren, annual family events, and watching his family prosper as a whole. Those family members embracing their memories of Tom include Carol, his wife of 41 years; son, Corey O'Connor and his wife, Denise of Sioux City, IA, daughter Carrie Garraway and her husband, Reckford of Lenexa, Kansas, and son Craig O'Connor and his wife, Suzanne of Frisco, Texas; 10 grandchildren; one brother, Steve O'Connor of Sioux City, IA; two sisters, Linda Williams and her husband Mickey of Pueblo, CO and Janice Burns of Cherokee, IA; a sister-in-law, Jenell O'Connor of Onawa, IA; his parents-in-law, John and Darlene Sands of Moville, IA; two brothers-in-law, Wayne Sands and his wife, Joyce of Moville and David Sands of St. Paul Park, MN; a sister-in-law, Constanza Sands of Pinkerington, OH; and many other extended family members. He was preceded in death by his parents; a granddaughter, Eden O'Connor; twin siblings at birth; a brother, Greg O'Connor; and two brothers-in-law, Bob Burns and Jeff Sands.
Service:
Saturday, February 1, 2014 11:00 a.m.
Armstrong Funeral Home 210 South 5th Street Mapleton, Iowa 51034
Visitation:
Friday, January 31, 2014 After 5:00 p.m.
Armstrong Funeral Home 210 South 5th Street Mapleton, Iowa 51034
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Service:
Saturday, February 1, 2014 11:00 a.m.
Armstrong Funeral Home 210 South 5th Street Mapleton, Iowa 51034
Visitation:
Friday, January 31, 2014 After 5:00 p.m.
Armstrong Funeral Home 210 South 5th Street Mapleton, Iowa 51034
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