Timothy James O'Connor, 65, passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, April 16, 2015 with his family by his side. The son of Charles and Gladys (Farrell) O'Connor was born on October 14, 1949 in Appleton. He married Lori Nackers of West De Pere on July 11, 1986. They had one son, Dylan, and raised him in Rothschild, WI. Tim was immensely proud of the man Dylan has become. Tim grew up in Askeaton, Wisconsin and went to grade school at East Holland, a one-room school house. He graduated from Wrightstown High School in 1967 and later graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. He spent his career as a purchasing agent at Wausau Paper Mill, and has been an active volunteer at Ministry St. Clare's since his retirement. Tim was a strong advocate and spokesperson for the University of Wisconsin Organ Procurement Program. The last fourteen years of his life were possible because of the selfless gifts of life from his sister Colleen and a young donor named Jason S. Tim was proud to be one hundred percent Irish, and enjoyed spending his free time in the outdoors. He loved to hunt, fish and go on camping trips with his family. He especially loved to golf, and did so every chance he got. He was kindhearted and was well known for his great sense of humor. He was dearly loved by all who knew him. Tim is survived by his loving wife of over twenty-eight years, Lori; his cherished son, Dylan; and siblings, Maureen Grant, Monte Rio, CA, Colleen (Gary) Neuman, Greenleaf, Trish (Rick) Clark, Houston, TX and Michael (Jackie) O'Connor, De Pere. He is further survived by his parents-in-law, Harold and Judy Nackers, West De Pere; siblings-in-law Shelly (Jeff LaViolette) Nackers, New Franken, Kim Nackers, Green Bay, and Chris Nackers, West De Pere; as well as many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Gladys O'Connor; brother, Dan O'Connor; and brother-in-law Dan Nackers. Family and friends may call at RYAN FUNERAL HOME, 305 North Tenth Street, De Pere from 4:00 to 6:00 pm on Wednesday April 22, 2015. A memorial service will held at 6:00 pm. Please visit www.ryanfh.com to send online condolences to the O'Connor family. The family would like to thank the University of Wisconsin Transplant Center and the Aspirus Hospital MSICU doctors and staff for their wonderful care and compassion. Copy of Services for Tim O'Connor Opening song: James Taylor "You've got a friend" Good evening. My name is Michael Lindsley and I am a funeral director at Ryan Funeral Home as well as a certified celebrant, and have been asked by Tim's loving family to officiate his memorial service. We are gathered this evening because a death has occurred that has impacted our community. A death of a friend, family member, husband, brother, and son. Timothy James O'Connor, born to golf, forced to work, has gone ahead of us into the mystery of the afterlife and at this time, even through the lighthearted stories and laughter, we are down and troubled. We have come to together to acknowledge that we are hurt, and to console one another in the comfort of knowing that we are not alone in facing the days ahead. So, as we begin on this path towards a new normal in our lives let us remember an Irish saying in remembrance of Tim: Here's to a fellow who smiles when life runs along like a song. And here's to the lad who can smile when everything goes dead wrong. Indeed it has felt as though things have gone very wrong with such a sudden passing of our friend and family member. A man so young, with such humor and a love of the outdoors, certainly this seems rather unfair. But, perhaps it is not the number of years in a life as it is the amount of life in the years and Tim sure had a lot of excitement and energy in his lifetime. As I sat down to initially meet with Tim's wife, Lori, his son, Dylan, and his sister, Colleen I had asked what some of the things were that Tim would be remembered for. A wide smile drew across Dylan's face and Colleen told me without hesitation "Uncle Timmy Stories". Lori agreed and at this point I knew that I simply had to know more. Colleen had recounted to me a story from years ago where Tim and a group of friends, described as "responsible teenagers" were driving a car and found themselves in a situation where they would prefer to avoid being found by any sort of law enforcement officer. Their solution? They decided to take the car through familiar farm fields and a swamp until they felt like they were well out of sight, but that wasn't enough. No, Tim took it a step further and took a chainsaw to the vehicle so they could hide the pieces. It was said in retrospect that perhaps the police were looking for that vehicle. Speaking of working with tools, Tim was fond of famous handyman characters Red Green from his namesake show and Tim Taylor from Home Improvement. Now where as Red Green may have told you that the handyman's secret weapon is duct tape, or Tim Taylor may have told you it simply needs more power, Tim O'Connor said "you can always fix something with a hammer". Do you know where this idea comes from? In a historical sense, it's referred to as the Law of the Hammer, and Abraham Maslow, the man responsible for Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, had said "if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail" Tim put a twist on this though. Thinking about it, if the world's problems and projects are nails, to those who knew him, Tim was the hammer. He was there to help, in a larger sense to fix the worlds problems around him through his abilities and his humor. Even if the problem was perhaps self inflicted as referenced in the story shared previously. But then again, Tim was accident-prone. The family had shared another story in which Tim once backed into a cop. I'm going to repeat that. He backed into a cop. Not a cop car, but a cop, as in the person. The man. Johnny Law. I can only imagine the shock that both Tim and the officer shared on that occasion or how he got out of any trouble for what had happened. I myself have been told I am accident-prone. I refute this claim however, insisting that I am not clumsy. It's just that the chairs and tables are bullies, the walls get in my way, and the floor hates me, even though it claimed that if I fell it would be there for me Perhaps it's when people notice that you have a propensity to injure yourself that friends and family come out to help. It is the love that was put out into the world returning. Another one of Tim's favorite stories was when his cousins, I imagine some of them are here tonight, came out to visit and ended up helping him with his daily chores, not unlike Tom Sawyer. "What luck!" he would exclaim when retelling the story. Beyond work and chores, Tim enjoyed time spent outdoors, whether that be camping with family, fishing, or golfing. Dylan had brought up during our conversation that it seemed to always rain whenever they were trying to put up a pop up tent. To this, author Dave Barry has said: "It always rains on tents. Rainstorms will travel thousands of miles, against prevailing winds for the opportunity to rain on a tent." But in response, Tim would have said, "The rain will blow right over." I'm sure with a smile on his face. Tim was also known for opening up the annual Trout Camp at Joe's. When they go fishing, it is not really fish they are after. It is a philosophic meditation. Time spent with friends and with one's self reflecting on the world. Film Director Robert Altman (Most famous for the movie MASH) once said, "I love fishing. You put that line in the water and you don't know what's on the other end. Your imagination is under there." Indeed good things come to those who bait. Make no mistake all the romance of trout fishing exists in the mind of the angler and is in no way shared by the fish, but for their differences men and fish are alike: they both get into trouble when they open their mouths. Tim's biggest passion outdoors was playing golf. Now for those of you who do not know what golf is, Radio personality Paul Harvey summed it up pretty well: Golf is a game in which you yell "fore," shoot six, and write down five. The golf outings that Time spent with Dave and his golfing buddies were very special and dear to him. Not unlike the time spent reflecting during fishing, I'm sure Tim found the allure of the golf course to be a wonderful place to experience the beauty of life and the world around him. What some may have seen as beautiful by looking at a painting or being in a museum, Tim saw in the flight of the ball after a good drive. On a light hearted note, author PJ O'Rourke said "Golf combines two favorite American pastimes: taking long walks and hitting things with a stick." The hammer and the nail. The problem and the solution with people he loved by his side. And maybe the hammer didn't always hit it's mark, and maybe that accident prone side came out in the way of a slice, or a hook, or a few other four letter words that aren't "golf", but his friends enjoyed every moment of it all the same. I am going to close with a passage from A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold regarding hobbies. I will then recite the Irish Blessing as we say farewell to Tim and close our services this evening. "What is a hobby anyway? Where is the line of demarcation between hobbies and ordinary normal pursuits? I have been unable to answer this question to my own satisfaction. At first blush I am tempted to conclude that a satisfactory hobby must be in large degree useless, inefficient, laborious, or irrelevant. Certainly many of our most satisfying avocations today consist of making something by hand which machines can usually make more quickly and cheaply, and sometimes better. Nevertheless I must in fairness admit that in a different age the mere fashioning of a machine might have been an excellent hobby... Today the invention of a new machine, however noteworthy to industry, would, as a hobby, be trite stuff. Perhaps we have here the real inwardness of our own question: A hobby is a defiance of the contemporary. It is an assertion of those permanent values which the momentary eddies of social evolution have contravened or overlooked. If this is true, then we may also say that every hobbyist is inherently a radical, and that his tribe is inherently a minority. This, however, is serious: Becoming serious is a grievous fault in hobbyists. It is an axiom that no hobby should either seek or need rational justification. To wish to do it is reason enough. To find reasons why it is useful or beneficial converts it at once from an avocation into an industrylowers it at once to the ignominious category of an 'exercise' undertaken for health, power, or profit. Lifting dumbbells is not a hobby. It is a confession of subservience, not an assertion of liberty." These hobbies were ways to spend time reflecting in the philosophical sense while spending time with friends and family, sharing moments and perhaps even gaining a deep insight into life in the process. The Irish Blessing May the road rise to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face. And rains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of His hand. I have added: May your ball lie in green pastures... and not in still waters. Thank you for being here tonight. For each other, and for yourselves as we go forward in a world without Tim's physical presence. He is surely in our hearts and memories, and I encourage you in the following days, weeks, and months, to call out to one another and reach out to those who also knew Tim. "There is only one thing worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about." - Oscar Wilde Again, thank you. Before we end services here this evening, we are in for a treat as I ask that Bill Clancy come forward to sing a song to close services. Please be sure to stick around for that and afterwards the family would like to invite you to a light dinner next door in our Marquette Room. Please continue to share stories and memories during dinner. Good night.