Robert Edwin O'Connell

Robert Edwin (Bob) O’Connell,  It is with profound sadness that the O’Connell family announces the passing of our father, Robert Edwin O’Connell, due to complications of pneumonia and Alzheimer’s. He was 86.   Bob was born January 18th, 1935 to George and Katheryn O’Connell.  He grew up in Point Place, OH along with his brothers George and Jim.   Bob’s childhood was filled with fishing and boating excursions on Maumee Bay (occasionally Bob and his brothers would row their small boat out to say hello to the Toledo Harbor lighthouse keeper), playing hockey on the bay during the winter, playing baseball in the summer.  Bob attended Waite High School, graduating in 1953.   Bob held a lifelong love of baseball and it was on the baseball fields of Friendship Park in Point Place that he met the love of his life, Cynthia Morgan, who was interning for the city of Toledo Parks division during the summer months.  Bob attended the University of Toledo where he majored in Civil Engineering, eventually earning a Master’s Degree.  While at the University he was also a three-year letterman for the Rocket baseball team during the late 50’s.  Upon graduation, Bob worked for the city of Toledo waterworks department becoming Chief Engineer in the mid 60’s and eventually becoming Commissioner of the Water Department from the late 60’s until the mid 70’s.  Several of the buildings at Bay View Waterworks still have Bob’s name on the plaques that were placed there when the buildings were constructed.  During his time with the city, Bob also spent time as engineering professor at the University of Toledo’s Scott Park campus.  Upon leaving the city of Toledo’s employment, Bob went into private business working as a design and sales engineer for Myers Industrial Sales in Oak Harbor OH.  At Myers, Bob designed and installed the water systems for many of the new residential communities being built around the Toledo area at the time.  Over the years Bob also worked with numerous municipalities in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana designing, installing or upgrading water treatment systems.   Although Bob’s professional accomplishments were plenty, nothing gave him more pleasure than being a father and a family man to his four children.  Bob is fondly remembered as a little league baseball coach in Ottawa Hills by dozens of kids during his 10 years of coaching in the system.  Both Bob and Cynthia were also very active with Sylvania travel hockey over the course of many seasons and eventually helped to establish the Ottawa Hills High School hockey team in 1978.  Bob and Cynthia never missed a sporting or school event that their children were involved in and were stalwarts of the Ottawa Hills community during their 42 years of living there.          Bob was preceded in death by Cynthia, his wife of 49 years, in 2008.  Bob is survived by his four children and eight grandchildren; David O’Connell (wife Betsy, daughters Meredith and Lauren, son Patrick), Christopher O’Connell (son Spencer), Daniel O’Connell (wife Kim, daughter Maddie) and Carrie Vaughan (husband Gareth, Sons Morgan and Rees and daughter Charlotte).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Funeral services will be held at Reeb Funeral Home, 5712 Main St. Sylvania OH 43560, at 11:00 AM Monday July 19th.  Visiting hours will be held on Sunday, July 18th, from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM and again on Monday from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM.                                                                                                                                                                                                      The family would like to thank the staff of Westlake Village Clare Bridge Memory Care Unit for the kindness and care they showed to our father during the years he lived there.  The O’Connell brothers would also like to acknowledge the generosity, affection and kindness given to our father by our brother-in-law Gareth Vaughan – you were truly his fourth son.   Online condolences to reebfuneralhome.com

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