William O'Connor

Visitation for William J. “Bill” O’Connor, 95, a lifelong Kankakee area resident, will be from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday at the Clancy-Gernon-Hertz Funeral Home, west Kankakee. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Friday at St. James the Apostle Catholic Church in Irwin. Father Doug Hauber will officiate. Burial will be in St. James the Apostle Catholic Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. James the Apostle Catholic Church. He died Tuesday (Aug. 17, 2010) at Provena St. Mary’s Hospital. He was born Nov. 20, 1914, in Irwin, the son of William M. and Catherine Donovan O’Connor. A retired school teacher, he had 47 years credit in teaching in what is now Herscher Community District No. 2. He spent seven years teaching at the North Irwin School, District No. 127. He served in the U.S. Army, starting July 25, 1941, during World War II in the Central European Theater of Operations. During his time in service, many things happened. The Japanese dropped bombs on Pearl Harbor, which started World War II. In the invasion of Europe he hit the shores of France at Utah Beach on “D” plus 2 Day. While in service, he participated in the Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes and Central Europe Campaigns. That included the Battle of the Bulge, which he said he was still fighting. He missed five years of teaching. He returned after the war and taught at the Bertrand School. The schools were then consolidated into the Herscher Community District Unit 2. There he taught fourth, fifth and sixth grades at different times. He retired from teaching in June 1981. For a period of more than 41 years, he also worked at JC Penney. There he worked in the stockroom, shoe department, men’s department, and he also worked the floor. He took time off to earn his degrees and to travel. He was a graduate of St. Patrick High School and before he started teaching he attended St. Viator’s College in Bourbonnais. After the war he attended Olivet College, where he received his bachelor’s degree. He then received a master’s degree in education from the University of Illinois. He was a member of the Irwin Lions Club and the Herscher American Legion. He had been the Irwin village treasurer. He said the world made more progress during his lifetime than the previous few thousand years, especially in the fields of communication, agriculture, medicine and transportation. Surviving are two brothers, Alex O’Connor of Irwin, Gerald “Jiggs” O’Connor of Bradley; numerous nieces and nephews and great-nieces and great-nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; four brothers, Bernard, James, Frank and Paul “Babe;” and one sister,Mary Margaret Ducat.

William O'Connor

November 20, 1914 - August 17, 2010