53, of Tempe, AZ passed away unexpectedly on Friday, January 15, 2010 while in Washington, D.C. Mary was a proud Arizona native born on August 4, 1956 to John Justin and Theresa Josephine O’Connor. She earned a BS and an MBA at Arizona State University. Mary enjoyed successful careers in auditing in the private sector and at the Arizona Office of the Auditor General as well as in transportation at the Cities of Tempe land Scottsdale, until her retirement in July of 2009. She was passionate about city politics and government, having devoted most of her career to working in municipalities and she was dedicated to her community, serving on the board of directors for the Tempe Community Council and Friends of the Tempe Center for the Arts. Mary was also active in Women’s Transportation Seminar, the US Access Board, and the American Public Works Association. She was a loyal and generous friend who would volunteer to drive a friend to the hospital, pick someone up from the airport, and help out in an emergency. She loved to travel (and owned an impressive luggage collection to match). While she loved being retired, she always knew that she wanted to give back to her community. Mary was happiest surrounded by family and friends. While Mary achieved much in her short fifty three years, most of us will remember her as a loving, dedicated sister, aunt, cousin, friend and colleague who loved books, art, wine, good food, traveling and her beloved cat, “Jack”. Mary is preceded in death by her father John, her mother Theresa and her sister Patricia Ann. She is survived by her sisters Jacqueline, Joan and Judith Marie, her nieces and nephews (Richard, Terri, Eileen, David, Carol, Mark, Mike, Suzi, Katy, Kevin, Kathy, Steve and John) and many loving great nieces and nephews. She will be missed by the hundreds of people whose lives she touched. A Memorial Service will be at 1:00 pm, Saturday, January 23, 2010 at Church of the Holy Spirit, 1800 E. Libra, Tempe (just n of Guadalupe Rd on the E side of McClintock Rd) followed by a Reception at Hanley Hall Community Center. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the American Diabetes Association in memory of Mary OL’Connor, P O Box 11454 Alexandria, VA 22312.
Judy Westhoff
Mary,
I don’t think any of us were ready to let go of you.
You are dearly loved and dearly missed.
Love,
Judy
Elizabeth Hilton
My deepest sympathy to Mary’s family and many friends. She was truly a gem. This news comes as quite a shock… I just saw her on Jan. 10 in DC and we had a lovely time catching up. We came to know each other through our work with the Access Board. I will always remember many wonderful conversations with Mary and her kind and gentle approach to people and issues.