Funeral Service: 1 pm Saturday, May 9, 2015 at Christ Church, Bronxville
Robert “Bob” Hartley O’Connor, 90, of Bronxville and Shelter Island, N.Y., died on January 14, 2015 in Bronxville. He is survived by his wife of nearly 65 years, Julia (née Sturges) O’Connor; children, Sandra O’Connor (Edwin Hydeman) of New York and Shelter Island, Russell O’Connor of Cody, Wyo., and Linda (Drew) Casertano of Millbrook, N.Y. and Weekapaug, R.I.; and grandsons, Alexander (Renee Bissell) Casertano of Mill Valley, Calif., Tyler (Annie) Casertano of Washington, D.C., and William Casertano of New York.
Born in Kansas City, Mo. to A.H. O’Connor and Mildred M. O’Connor, Bob attended Dwight Morrow High School in Englewood, N.J. and entered Yale with the class of ‘45W in July 1942. Called to active duty in the Navy in February 1944, when he received his ensign’s commission at Yale, he served as a gunnery officer aboard destroyer escorts in the Atlantic and the Pacific until his release as a lieutenant in September 1946. He returned to Yale and graduated in 1948. After a year on Wall Street, he had a 30-year career in sales and marketing with IBM in Hartford, Conn., Albany, and New York. He was an avid tennis and paddle tennis player and sailor.
A devoted Yale alumnus, Bob worked tirelessly for the classes of ‘45W and ’48 and the Aurelian Honor Society, which has named its scholarship in his memory. He attended countless reunions and 69 consecutive Yale-Harvard football games. He was chairman of the ‘45W 70th reunion scheduled for this May.
A resident of Newington, Conn. for 10 years, Loudonville, N.Y. for 14 years, and Bronxville (Cedar Knolls) for 40 years, and a summer resident of Shelter Island since 1961, Bob was a member of The Yale Club of New York City, the Bronxville Field Club, Christ Church (Bronxville), where he was warden for six years, and St. Mary’s Episcopal Church (Shelter Island). He was a former member of the Shelter Island Yacht Club.
There will be a Funeral Service held at Christ Church, Bronxville on May 9th at 1pm. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Christ Church, 17 Sagamore Road, Bronxville, NY 10708.
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