Obituary of Robert O'Connor

Bob passed away of congestive heart failure among his loved ones at his Springfield home on January 4, 2014. He was born October 18, 1933 in Riverside, CA to Cecil and Vera (Eason) O’Connor. Nine months later the family moved to a farm outside of Fruita, CO where they remained until the mid 1940’s. With Oregon beckoning, they moved to Eugene and eventually to Springfield where Bob attended middle school and Springfield High. After graduation, he worked various jobs and was hired by Pacific Northwest Bell in 1955. This began a telephone career that lasted 41 years. He retired from AT&T in 1994 and did another 10 years of private telephone contracting. Bob is survived by his wife, Anne, daughter and son-in-law Holly and Ted Essig of Eugene and daughter and son-in-law Erin and Kiyallah Heatherstone of Fall Creek. Survivors also include his daughter by a previous marriage, Jeana Hicks of Portland, three grandchildren, Brittany, Anna and Corbin, two great-granddaughters and many nieces and nephews. Bob and Anne married in 1966 and raised their family in Springfield. Family was Bob’s greatest pleasure and he involved his children in everything he did from huckleberry picking to gardening, clam digging, kite flying, skateboarding, skiing, bowling league and square dancing. Bob’s other hobbies and interests included reading, woodworking, travel, hiking, backpacking and fishing. He spent almost 25 years on the Hoodoo Ski Patrol and when no longer able to do that he dived headlong into a muzzle loading hobby. He joined the Fort Umpqua Muzzleloaders and proceeded to craft leather items, beautiful powder horns, guns, knives and all types of accessories for his hobby. He loved to participate in rendezvous and black powder shoots. Bob was preceded in death by his younger brother, Raymond and their parents. A private memorial took place at Springfield Memorial Gardens chapel on January 10, 2014. Please join the family for a happy remembrance of Bob at an “open house” on February 9, 2014 at Rye, 444 East 3rd Street, Eugene, OR from 2 to 5pm. Remembrances may be made to Cascade Hospice. Arrangements entrusted to Springfield Memorial Funeral Home. Please access the obituary and you are invited to sign the guestbook at musgroves.com