A small church service and rosary with immediate family will be held for 68-year old Patrick O’Connor with a public Celebration of Life in July on the Lingle football field where everyone is welcome.
The family is a local scholarship in Pat’s name. Check donations can be made to Shelley or Cortney O’Connor while cash donations can be dropped off at any Pinnacle Bank location for the Pat O’Connor Memorial.
Patrick Charles O’Connor was born July 31, 1952, in Aberdeen, SD, and passed away unexpectedly on January 25, 2021.
Pat’s family moved to Hot Springs, SD, when he was young. As a kid, Pat worked from an early age. He delivered papers and worked countless hours at the local grocery store. He also enjoyed watching his oldest brother drag race.
Pat graduated from Hot Springs High School in 1970 and attended Chadron State College, earning a teaching degree in Industrial Arts.
On June 7, 1975 Pat married Shelley Tubbs and to this union was born one son, Ryan, who later married Cortney. They gave Pat and Shelley two granddaughters, Josephine and Irelynn.
Pat was a teacher and coach at Lingle/Ft. Laramie High School for forty years and has had a lot of success as a coach in football, wrestling, and track. He was part of multiple state championships and received numerous coaching accolades highlighted by induction into the Wyoming Coaches Hall of Fame.
Someone described Pat as a teacher/coach who impacted more young people in one year than the average person does in a lifetime.
His dedication to teaching and coaching extended into the lives of his students and peers while his devotion to his students and athletes was unmatched. Pat was more than just a teacher; he would drop anything to support, listen to and help his students and athletes.
He did the same for his peers. Some of his best friends were fellow coaches and those who knew Pat knew he loved socializing with his friends at the annual Wyoming Coaches Association Clinic.
In retirement Pat enjoyed being a substitute teacher in Goshen County, and working at old Fort Laramie seasonally. His most prized job in retirement, though, was being the best grandpa to Josephine and Irelynn.
Other passions included fishing, poker, community service, regularly attending Catholic mass, and road trips with Shelley.
A few retirement highlights included going to a Notre Dame football game with his son, Ryan and a few good buddies, and a road trip to Ireland with his Thoren family in 2017. Pat never knew a stranger and made friends wherever he went.
He was a legend of a man, known and loved by many across the state of Wyoming. He will forever be missed, but his legacy of working hard, having fun, and giving to others will always remain in the hearts and lives of those who knew him.
Pat is survived by his wife Shelley of Torrington, WY; son Ryan (Cortney Thoren) O’Connor of Thermopolis, WY; granddaughters Josephine and Irelynn of Thermopolis; brothers Don (Mary) O’Connor of Ft. Pierre, SD, Dick (Mary) O’Connor and Mike (Reina) O’Connor all of Hot Springs, SD; sister Peggy (Jim) Moos of Panama City Beach, FL; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Pat was preceded in death by his parents Alvin and Magdalene O’Connor.