James "Jim" Geary O'Connor, 85, of Charleston, South Carolina, husband of Rosemary Lillian Mercer O'Connor, passed away surrounded by loving family, on Tuesday, August 11, 2026. Jim’s Funeral Mass will be held on Thursday, August 20, 2026, at the Divine Redeemer Catholic Church, 1106 Fort Drive, Hanahan, SC at 11:00AM. The family will receive visitors Wednesday, August 19, 2026, from 5:00PM to 7:00PM in J. Henry Stuhr Inc., Northwoods Chapel, 2180 Greenridge Rd., N. Charleston, SC.

Born August 28,1940, the son of the late James Patrick O'Connor and the late Helen Marie Hucksam O'Connor, Jim was raised in the Hyde Park section of Boston, MA, attended Northeastern University and served full-time and as a reservist in the US Army for 6 years.

As a co-op student, he began a 13-year career at the John Hancock Insurance Company that led to Jim meeting the love of his life, Rosemary, and making lifelong friends.

When civil service interested Jim, he went to work for the City of Somerville, serving as their Election Commissioner for 4 years, then moving into the Veterans Services Department, where he worked tirelessly to help Veterans receive their benefits. His commitment to "his guys" resulted in his being named Director of Veteran’s Services, a position he held until his retirement in 2001. During those 21 years of service, the ring of his voice was well-known to everyone at City Hall.

Known by nicknames such as Jimmy, Okie and Mr. O, Jim lived, thrived, and raised his family for 38 years in Somerville, just 13 miles from where he grew up. He eventually retired to North Charleston, SC, enjoying 22 more years of adventure with Rosemary, family, friends, and grandkids.

His love of Boston sports teams was a hallmark of who Jim was. But as a former standout pitcher for Mission High School, baseball was his favorite, attending many games at Fenway with his kids. Opening Day games with his son, Kerry, were special memories, and they all reveled with the rest of New England when the Sox won the World Series in 2004. Many times, he traveled to Philadelphia to visit Kerry and cheer on the Sox as they took on the Phillies.

While the Sox reigned supreme, Jim was more than just a casual fan of the other teams. Long before the days of fancy stadiums, Dynasties and reoccurring duck boat parades, he was a season ticket holder of the New England Patriots with his brother-in-law, Ted. They spent many Sunday’s in the old Shaeffer Stadium, a place that taught his son, Jimmy, what being cold really meant. Those lean years for the Pats certainly fueled Jim's life-long love of rooting for the underdog.

Attending Bruins games at the original Garden led to a special bond between he and his daughter, Noreen. When Jim’s good friend George Bishop wasn’t using his season tickets, they would slide through Jim’s mail slot, and off Jim and Noreen went. Later, Jim gained new allies in his love of hockey through his son-in-law Jason, a college hockey player who still plays men’s league hockey in North Charleston, and grandson Kerry, who plays competitive travel hockey in New Jersey.

Golfing was a lifelong joy for Jim, first learning the game as a caddy at Hyde Park’s George Wright golf course, and buying a few of his own clubs with tip money. He won a few championships throughout his life, and had a hole-in-one, but he truly just loved playing with his favorite golf buddies, brother-in-law Ted, his son Jim, and beloved son-in-law, Jason. Even his granddaughter Lillian got to share some course time with “Grampy” when she started playing. One of Jim’s most special, and defining, golf related achievements was being the Academic Magnet High School’s Asst Golf Coach for 10 years with Jason. Mr O., as the kids, (and Jason) called him, was a beloved figure to many of Jason’s golf teams and they even won a state championship together. The pair got a kick out of wearing their championship rings.

Absolutely devoted to his children, Jim never missed a football, baseball or softball game, a boy scout event, a PTA meeting, or Parents Weekend in Charleston, Elmira or Philadelphia. Jim often spent his free time throwing his kids in the family car for “mystery rides” as they were dubbed, often ending up at local family favorites like the Stone Zoo, Castle Island, the Public Gardens, or climbing all over the USS Constitution even in cold Boston winters. Through these adventures, Jim shared his love and knowledge of history with his children, always knowing some historical tidbit, and encouraging the reading of every plaque. Sometimes, those rides even crossed state lines to New Hampshire and Maine because Jim (well-known for a legendary sweet tooth) heard there was good ice cream or pie to be had at some little shop. In his retirement years, that love of history and collection of “nickel knowledge” as we called it, help him win many a trivia contest at the North Charleston Senior Center he frequented.

Jim extended that love of family and adventure to his 5 grandchildren, the O’Connor triplets; James, Jordan, and Erin came first and helped lure Jim and Rosemary to South Carolina. Next came Noreen and Jason’s daughter Lillian, and then Kerry and Adriana’s son, Kerry. Jim enjoyed spending time with them all and following their interests which included scouting, sailing, fashion, architecture & design, music and theatre, equestrian, science, thrifting, fishing, ice hockey and baseball.

Jim’s interest and compassion for others expanded beyond his family. Community and civic- minded, Jim was heavily involved in his community through service and charity projects. A lifelong Democrat, he worked on several successful political campaigns. On his retirement, the Massachusetts State Senate issued a citation recognizing some of Jim's many civic-related accolades, referencing: Cub Master for Boy Scouts, Asst. Coach for Little League, St. Polycarp and St. Clement boosters, American Legion Post 29, Somerville Credit Union Board Member, 6-time delegate to the Democratic Convention, recipient of the Massachusetts Veterans Services Longevity Award and Veterans Services Officer Investigation Award.

But with all the love for his family and the responsibility and humanity he felt for the larger world around him, the absolute, most important thing to Jim, and occupier of the grandest part of his heart and soul was his wife, Rosemary. Never apart during their 60 years of marriage, they wove their lives together as partners and best friends. They enjoyed taking trips (especially cruises), growing and entering their prize-winning roses in the Charleston Lowcountry Rose Society competitions, and making their house a home complete with the occasional living room floor dancing to a Rod Stewart or Elvis song. Through the years together, they loved and cherished each other’s company, and with their extended family of sisters and brothers-in-law, they had a village to raise their own kids and each other’s, had holiday, birthdays, and events of all sort to celebrate, and could make a random Thursday night into a celebration. Jim was blessed with a life full of family, friends, and memories that he cherished throughout his lifetime.

In addition to Rosemary, he is survived by children: James Kevin O'Connor (and wife Catherine Chaplin) of Charleston, SC, Noreen Blythe Stackhouse (and husband Jason Stackhouse) of North Charleston, SC, and Kerry Ross O'Connor (and wife Adriana Torres) of Haddon Township, NJ; grandchildren: James Warren O'Connor, Jordan Adare O'Connor, Erin Catherine O'Connor (recently married to Jacen Dixon), Lillian Grace Stackhouse, and Kerry Cali O'Connor; sister, Rosemary Carter of Fredericksburg, VA; and many well-loved cousins, nieces, nephews, sister and brothers-in-law, and family members.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations in memory of Mr. James O'Connor be made to the Charleston County Public Library – Otranto Road Library. Contributions may be sent to:

Charleston County Public Library – Otranto Road Library

c/o Support Services, Finance

4355 Bridge View Drive

North Charleston, SC 29405

Arrangements by J. Henry Stuhr Funeral Home, Northwoods Chapel.

A memorial message may be sent to the family by visiting our website at www.jhenrystuhr.com