John James O'Connor Jr.

Born, February 14, 1942 in New York City to Edith and John O’Connor Sr., John grew up in Garrison, New York, and attended Manhattan College. He served five years in the Army Reserves before being honorably discharged. In the 1970s, he came to Florida following civil engineering opportunities in the phosphate industry and began a long and distinguished career with IMC, now Mosaic. Along the way, he made countless friends and colleagues who became an important part of his life.

Although he started as a city boy, John eventually became a true Duette, Florida, country man. It took a little while—and a few lessons in country living from some loyal locals—but once he found Duette, he found home.

John believed deeply in giving back to the community he loved. He served an incredible 45 years on the Soil and Water Conservation Board, dedicating nearly five decades to agriculture, conservation, and the land. He was involved in agriculture at both the county and state levels and was passionate about teaching the next generation where their food came from and why farming mattered.

He supported 4-H and FFA and was instrumental in starting the Palmetto High School FFA Alumni, helping young people learn the value of agriculture, hard work, responsibility, and community. He was also a dedicated lifetime member of the Duette Volunteer Fire Department, watching the department grow from a station in a barn to a permanent facility and helping make that better station possible for the community he served.

But perhaps one of the most beloved chapters of John's life began when he became Santa Claus.

For 37 years, John put on the red suit and shared his time, laughter, and heart with children and families. His Santa story began with his desire simply to take care of people. He visited nursing and elder-care homes, spending time with those who could not be with their families during the holidays. To John, the greatest gift wasn't something wrapped in a box—it was time, attention, and making someone feel remembered.

He used Santa as a way to share the real reason for the season, handing out candy canes and making sure people knew that Jesus—the “J” in the candy cane—was the reason for Christmas.

Whether he was Santa, a firefighter, an advocate for agriculture, an engineer, a neighbor, Daddy, Pop, or simply John, he had a gift for making people feel like they mattered.

John was a true Irishman and proudly embraced every bit of it. Every St. Patrick's Day, he could be found dressed as a leprechaun, bringing his own brand of fun wherever he went. He loved to make people laugh and was never afraid to be the center of the story.

He was also remarkably generous to complete strangers. If John saw someone eating alone at a restaurant, he might quietly pay for their meal—not for recognition, but simply because he saw someone who might need a little kindness.

John was a lover of animals, with one notable exception: small, hairy creatures such as hamsters and mice were not exactly his favorites. He absolutely loved his dogs and cats. They were family to him, and he cared for them with the same big heart he gave to everyone else. We like to think many of those beloved four-legged friends who went before him were waiting to welcome him home.

John was an engineer by profession and by nature. No job was ever too easy for John. If something could be done in three steps, he could find seven more steps to make it considerably more complicated—and, of course, it had to be OSHA approved. He loved figuring things out, fixing things, helping people, and making sure things were done right.

But beneath the engineer, farmer, firefighter, Santa, animal lover, and larger-than-life personality was a man whose greatest accomplishment was simply loving people deeply.

John was a devoted husband and father. Linda O’Connor was the love of his life and his partner in so many adventures. Together they cruised, traveled, raised their family, and built a life filled with memories. John especially loved cruising with Linda and, true to his colorful personality, participated in every hairy-chest competition he could find on those cruise ships. He was certainly not the type to sit quietly in the corner.

Linda passed away in April 2024, dementia eventually required John to move into memory care. Even as dementia slowly took pieces of John away, it never completely took away the man he was. In memory care, John became a favorite among the staff. Even while he was “trapped in his own mind,” his personality, humor, kindness, and ability to connect with people still found a way through. The people caring for him saw the same special man his family had known all along. John made friends wherever he went and had a way of making people feel seen, even when he could no longer fully express himself.

John was preceded in death by his wife, Linda O’Connor; his parents, Edith and John O’Connor Sr. ; his beloved son, John Patrick O’Connor; his stepdaughter, Linda Sharer Morgan; his nephew, Brad Budney; and his sister, Edith O’Connor Budney.

He leaves behind his daughter, Kellie O’Connor Stoddard and her husband Justin; his son, Michael Scott O’Connor; his sister, Christine O’Connor Mazzuca; his brother, Chance O’Connor; nine grandchildren—Blake, Angela, Matthew, Makenley, Kendall, Emily, Josie, Amelia, and Gracyn; and three great-grandchildren—Catherine, Jaxon, and Quinn. He also leaves countless cousins, extended family members, friends, neighbors, colleagues, and people whose lives he touched along the way.

And he leaves behind something far greater than a list of accomplishments. He leaves behind stories. Stories we will share for years to come. John touched everyone he met. He gave so much of himself to so many people that pieces of him will continue to live on—in the communities he served, in the children he encouraged, in the people he cared for, in the animals he loved, in the staff members who loved him during his final chapter, and most of all, in his family. He spent his life taking care of people. Now it is our turn to take care of his memory.

Daddy, Pop, John—you were one of a kind. You were loud, colorful, complicated, hilarious, generous, stubborn, loving, faithful, and completely unforgettable. You taught us that a life well lived isn't measured only by what you accomplish, but by how many people feel loved because you were here. Your work here is done. Rest easy until we meet again. And Daddy, knowing you, I'm sure there will be one big Irish welcome party when we get there.

Until we meet again, Irishman.

John's life will be celebrated on Saturday, September 26th, at:

Dry Prairie Baptist Church,Duette, Florida. Visitation: 1:00 PM

Celebration of Life Service: 3:00 PM. Reception: Immediately following the service. All are welcome.

Please join us as we celebrate John's remarkable life, share stories, laugh, remember, and honor the many people and communities he touched along the way.