Obituary of Gary M. O'Connell

Gary O'Connell (Gary "O"), 60, of Port Richmond, passed away peacefully on February 9, 2021. He was the beloved son of Joyce and the late George O'Connell; loving husband of Lisa (nee Fucci); devoted father of Samantha O'Connell, and ToniLee O'Connell and her fiancé Shaun Collins; cherished grandfather of Lylah Collins; dear brother of Lori Montalbano; fond uncle of Jennifer Montalbano-Gill and Joseph Montalbano, Anthony Fucci and great-uncle of Akal Gill. Mr. O'Connell was born in Newark, NJ, and was brought to Staten Island as an infant, where he was raised in Westerleigh. He graduated from Port Richmond High School. For over 20 years he was employed as a NYC Sanitation worker, and after his retirement he drove for Island Charter Bus Company. Gary enjoyed building race cars and raced them in Raceway Park in Englishtown, NJ. He also enjoyed watching cooking shows and was skilled at barbequing and enjoyed hosting people in his yard. He was fond of utilizing his fire pit in his backyard while relaxing there. Visitation at the Matthew Funeral Home, Inc., 2508 Victory Boulevard, on Friday, from 2:00 to 5:00 and 7:00 to 9:00 pm. A funeral service will be conducted on Friday evening at 8:00 pm. A private cremation will take place on Saturday. Due to Covid, all visitors must wear masks, practice social distancing, and be mindful that a wait to visit might exist due to current capacity limitations.