WILLIAM R. O'CONNELL

12/26/2000

William R. O'Connell, 72, of 360 Churchill St. died Tuesday at home. Born in Pittsfield on Nov. 2, 1928, son of Ralph M. and Helen Dunfrey O'Connell, he attended local schools and graduated from Choate Rosemary Hall prep school in Connecticut. He also graduated from Babson College. He was first employed with his father in the oil business and by the former O'Connell Cadillac and Oldsmobile Dealership. He then owned and operated the O'Connell Chevrolet Dealership in Lenox for five years. Mr. O'Connell was the chief executive officer and president of O'Connell Oil Associates and Subsidiaries since 1970. One of the convenience store pioneers of this area, he opened his first store in 1982 and has grown the number of stores to 50. He was a communicant of St. Stephen's Church and a member of the New England Dealer Council. He was also a member and board member of NEFI, and was a major contributor for many local charities. He was a past member of the Austerlitz Club, The Country Club of Pittsfield and the Alford Brook Club. An outdoorsman, Mr. O'Connell enjoyed skiing, tennis, handball and bicycling. He leaves his wife, the former Linda Patten, whom he married June 11, 1994; two sisters, Ann Collins of Lee and Helen Simpson of West End, N.C., and a brother, Stephen G. O'Connell of Pittsfield. Funeral services for William R. O'Connell, 72, who died Dec. 26, 2000, will be held Friday at 11 a.m. at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Pittsfield. Burial will follow in the Pittsfield Cemetery. Calling hours will be at DERY FUNERAL HOME in Pittsfield from 4 to 8 p.m. on Thursday. Mr. O'Connell is survived by many nieces and nephews. Memorial donations may be made in Mr. O'Connell's memory to Pittsfield Hospice Care in the Berkshires or the Berkshire VNA, both in care of the funeral home, 54 Bradford St., Pittsfield, MA 01201.

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