Obituaries:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

O'BRIAN, JACK — a newspaper columnist and former AP drama critic, died Nov. 5, 2000 in New York. He was 86.

O'Brian chronicled soap opera plot twists and celebrities and the quiz show scandals of the 1950s. He took a job as a cub reporter with a Buffalo, N.Y., newspaper and established a reputation for cantankerous when he skewered the local orchestra.

He joined the AP as its drama and movie critic in 1943. Later, he wrote about television and Broadway for a string of newspapers. In 1965, he took over the nationally syndicated column the Voice of Broadway after the death of columnist Dorothy Kilgallen.

O'CONNELL, JOHN W. — Retired New York Chief of Communications John W. O'Connell, whose career spanned more than four decades at The Associated Press, died Sunday, Feb. 24, 2008 in Long Island, N.Y. He was 79.

O'Connell joined the AP in New York on July 19, 1944 as a temporary messenger and worked his way up to chief of communications during his nearly half century at the AP, interrupted only by a 1950-52 stint in the U.S. Army, where he served as a corporal at Camp Kilmer in New Jersey.

The New York City native, born in Long Island City, was affectionately and respectfully known as "Chief" after his 1983 appointment as COC for New York City. He offficially retired on July 31, 1993.

Then-AP President and CEO Louis D. Boccardi wrote on the occasion of O'Connell's retirement:

"The Yankees got along without DiMaggio. They’ll hold the U.S. Open this year without McEnroe. NBC is still on the air without Carson.

"But the AP without O’Connell? Well, now we’re talking about something tough to envision.

"With (usually) quiet persistence, you’ve always gotten the job done and you leave a host of friends and professional admirers.

"You have had a wonderful AP career and I hope the retirement you’ve earned will be long and happy. You leave an O’Connell legacy here, in more ways than one. We’re very happy you came AP’s way."

Emile Conrad, who succeeded O'Connell as COC for New York City, says that legacy includes the O'Connell family. Sons John Jr. and Jimmy both worked on the technical staff and daughters Corinne and Sharon also were employed at the AP at various times. O'Connell's grandson, Jake, is currently a staffer in the Multimedia/Graphics Department.

Here's how survivors were listed in the family notice for the Feb. 26-28 memorial services on Long Island:

"O'CONNELL - John W., of N. Massapequa on February 24, 2008. Retired Chief of Communications for The Associated Press; avid Bowler. Beloved husband of Rose Marie (nee Marinelli). Loving father of John and his wife Jeanne, James, Corinne, Mary and Sharon. Devoted grandfather of Gabe and his wife Jamie, Jake, Ben, Mary Rose, and great-grandfather of Ella Marie. Fond brother of Loretta Peterson. He was loved by all who met him."

Retired COC Conrad says: "John always knew how to get the best out of his employees. His quiet sense of humor was always appreciated and made some of the hardest jobs go easier. John began his AP career in the age of the Teletype and helped bring AP into the digital age with the installation of the Sat dishes and Leafdesk."

O'Connell's funeral was held Thursday, Feb. 28. Conrad says former technicians who worked for O'Connell came from all over to pay their respects during the week's memorial services. The family's eulogy, Conrad said, included this summary of what O'Connell meant to his colleagues: "He had two nicknames, 'Chief' and 'Pal'. One reflected the guidance he provided, and the other the depth of the relationships he developed."

O'KEEFE, HERBERT — a former AP newsman in North Carolina and Maryland who as a newspaper editor urged support for civil rights during the turbulent '50s and '60s, died Nov. 30, 2000 in Raleigh, N.C. He was 92.

For 16 years, starting in 1957, O'Keef was editor of The Raleigh Times, a now-defunct afternoon newspaper. He wrote almost daily editorials supporting equal rights for blacks and calling for calm during weeks of lunch counter sit-ins and demonstrations in Raleigh. Later, O'Keef backed busing plans that brought thousands of white students into formerly all-black schools in North Carolina.

A Wilmington, N.C., native, O'Keef was hired as a reporter for the Durham Sun in 1930. He worked for the AP in North Carolina and Maryland and at The News & Observer as a reporter and editor until 1941.

Following service in the Army, O'Keef returned to the News & Observer as a features editor. He retired from the Times in 1973.

Survivors include his wife, daughter and sister.

O'Malley was a Navy correspondent for the AP during World War II and was aboard the USS Missouri the day the Japanese surrendered in Tokyo Bay.

He was the AP bureau chief in Paris for seven years from 1959 to 1966 during the Algerian rebellion against French rule. He accompanied French President Charles de Gaulle to President Kennedy's funeral in 1963.

O'Malley noted in an AP retiree newsletter this year that he had covered five military conaflicts.

"I had one hell of a great time in my 31 years with the AP," he wrote.

O'Malley was a correspondent in Moscow in 1955 but was kicked out after seven months when the Kremlin accused him of engaging in illegal currency transactions. He denied the charge and AP's General Manager at the time, Frank J. Starzel, defended O'Malley, saying the Russians made such charges whenever they wanted someone out of the country.

In addition to Paris, O'Malley was the AP bureau chief in Denver, Cyprus and Germany. He retired in 1973.

He was born in Portland, Ore., the son of two journalists, and grew up in Butte, Mont., graduating from the University of Montana. He authored "Mile High Mile Deep," a 1971 book about his Butte boyhood in the 1920s.

He is survived by his wife, Jeanne, and two daughters.

O'SHEA, WILLIAM (Bill) — held editorial and executive positions at The Associated Press, Reuters, The New York Times and ABC, died in Lakeville, Conn., April 14, 2002 of cancer. He was 60.

Born in Chicago in 1941, O'Shea graduated from St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein, Ill., in 1967 and was ordained a Roman Catholic priest. After getting a journalism degree from Northwestern University in 1970, he decided to turn to a career in communications. He resigned from the priesthood and joined ABC Television.

He joined the AP in New York and worked on the General Desk through the early 1970s as one of the editors overseeing the national news report. He also managed the News Election Service as AP's representative to the media vote-counting organization.

In 1976 he joined the New York Times News Service, becoming general manager. He joined Reuters in 1982 and served in a variety of marketing positions through the late 1990s, when he left to join a software company. Illness forced his retirement.

O'Shea is survived by his wife, three sons, mother and two brothers.