July 1, 1956 – March 16, 2022 (age 65)
New Windsor, NY
William (Billy) O’Connell, 65, of New Windsor, NY passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday, March 16, 2022 at his vacation home in Calabash, NC surrounded by his loving family.
Billy was born on July 1, 1956 in New York City to Harold and Alma O’Connell.
He is survived by his loving wife of 39 years, Gerri (Gallagher) O’Connell, his daughter, Tara Tolve and her husband, Robert, his son, Brian O’Connell and his wife, Brinn. He is also survived by his beloved grandson, Connor Tolve, and his dear brother, Edward (Ed) O’Connell and his wife, Gloria.
After receiving his bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Psychology from SUNY Cortland, he then received his nursing degree from Pace University. He spent the past 44 years working as a dedicated psychiatric nurse and educator at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Westchester, NY. As the president of his hospital’s nurses’ union, he fought passionately for the rights of his fellow nurses. He also took pride in caring for his patients with the utmost compassion. Billy was the hardest working man you could ever meet.
He enjoyed the simple things in life, Barry’s Irish tea on the weekends, a daily trivia email, reading books from the library, listening to live music, taking long walks on Sunset Beach, NC, and spending time with those he loved. He had a quick wit and was a wealth of knowledge on countless topics, nursing to music to do-it-yourself house projects. He was a mentor to many and was commonly referred to as “the voice of reason”. He touched so many lives and made a lasting impression on everyone he encountered.
Visitation will be held on Thursday, March 24, from 3 – 8 pm at Brooks Funeral Home, 481 Gidney Ave., Newburgh, NY. A Catholic Funeral Mass will be held on Friday in Westchester County, NY (Church TBD) with a burial at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to St. Vincent’s Hospital in Westchester, NY at https://www.saintjosephs.org/about-us/ways-to-give/donate/st.-vincent’s-honor-and-memorial-donations.
