Kevin O'Connell's mother passed away recently.
Northfield, MN--Margaret (Wall) O'Connell was born July 20, 1914, in Gettysburg, SD to Frank and Winona Hall. Following two years as a teacher, Peg married Jim O'Connell, a livestock specialist at South Dakota State University in Brookings, SD. She and Jim raised three sons and resided in Brookings until their move to Northfield, MN, in 1998. Peg died March 10, 2011, at the Northfield Retirement Community Care Center.
Peg, a devout Catholic, had a passion for reading and a lifelong pursuit of knowledge. Her love of crossword puzzles contributed to her excellence as a wordsmith. Art was a constant in Peg's life. She volunteered as a tour guide at the SDSU Art Museum and continued to champion art appreciation throughout her years in Northfield. She was currently enrolled in water color painting at the senior center.
She is surviver her son Patrick and wife Donna of Spearfish, SD; Kevin and his wife Kay of Northfield, MN; daughter-in-law Suzan O'Connell of Bismarck, ND; sisters Marion Lowrey and Patricia Wall of The Woodlands, TX; six grandchildren and four great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband Jim and son Michael.
A memorial service will be held on Sunday, March 13, from 2-4 pm at the Northfield Retirement Center Chapel. Interment services and Mass will be held later this spring in Brookings, SD.
Memorials can be directed to the Northfield Public Library or the South Dakota Art Museum, Brookings, SD.
Arrangements are with the Benson & Langehough Funeral Home.
If anybody has any comments to add, feel free to do so. I spent a great deal of time over at the O'Connell house, especially during the summer of 1963. We were altar boys at the Newman Center right across the alley from their house, and served there almost every day.
