Thomas (Tommy) W. O’Connell, 64, of Dumont, NJ passed away on December 4, 2020 surrounded by his loving family. Born in Teaneck, NJ he lived most of his life in Dumont and graduated from Dumont High School in 1975.
He is survived by his beloved wife, Mary Llull O’Connell and his three stepdaughters, Jessica and her husband Marko, Erin and her fiancé Gregg, Catherine and her husband Christian. He was a proud grandfather to Charlotte and Madeline. He is also survived by his sister Patti and her husband Richard, his brother Jay and his wife Tracy, and his dear Aunt, Sister Joan McCarthy. Uncle of Alexis, Austin, Brendan, Danny, and Ryan, and great uncle to their children. Tommy was predeceased by his parents, Joseph O’Connell and Norma O’Connell (nee McCarthy). He will be greatly missed by all of his friends especially Richie and Kitty Bendix.
Before retiring, Tommy was a Supervisor of Maintenance at the Department of General Services of Bergen County in Hackensack. He also worked for many years as a Supervisor at the Bergen County Mosquito Control. In New York City, he worked at Manhattan Chrysler Jeep Dodge as a Service Advisor and at AutoTech Nissan as a Service Consultant. In his younger days, Tommy moonlighted as a bartender at The Frontier Room in Dumont and several other establishments.
Tommy had many hobbies and interests including collecting baseball hats, pocket knives, sunglasses, and anything else that caught his eye. He loved travelling with his wife; taking many trips to Long Beach Island, NJ and Florida. He was an avid bird watcher, always able to identify any bird you asked him about. As a lifelong Yankee and Giants fan, he rarely missed watching or listening to a game. Tommy enjoyed scratch-off lottery tickets and was always convinced that he was one ticket away from “winning the big one”. Sitting outside in the evening with his “campfire” going, his “Bunny” by his side, and listening to music was one of his favorite things to do. He was always the designated bartender at Richie and Kitty’s Sunday pool parties and enjoyed going to The Peddler for food and drinks with friends. His greatest joy in life was being Pappy to his two adorable granddaughters, Charlotte and Madeline. They will truly miss their loving Pappy.
A celebration of Tommy’s life will be held at a later date when it is safe for all to attend. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Dumont Volunteer Ambulance Corps at dumontambulance.org.
Tommy will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him.