Obituary of Marybeth O'Connor

LIFE STORY – Marybeth (Stodolski) O’Connor June 25, 1958 – January 22, 2020 A Memorial Service will take place on Saturday, February 15, 2020 at St. Bonaventure Catholic Church, 1301 SW 136th Avenue, Davie, FL 33325. Tel (954) 424-9504. Email: cstbonaventurechurch.com. Shared experiences and gathering at 10:30 AM, Mass 11:00 AM. A reception will take place in the parish center immediately following the Mass, all are welcome. There will be a private internment service at 2:00 PM at Queen of Heaven Catholic Cemetery, 1500 S. State Road 7 (441) Fort Lauderdale, FL 33068. Marybeth was born in New Castle, PA on June 25, 1958 the middle child of parents Eugene Alexander Stodolski (father) and Elizabeth (Miller/Stodolski) McCormick. When she was very young her father started a new job in Erie, Pennsylvania, Marybeth went along and stayed with her father’s parents Eugenia and her husband Alexander Stodolski, eventually, the entire family joined them in Erie. Marybeth attended St. Jude School up until the 2nd grade. In 1966, she transferred to Our Lady of Peace Middle School, following graduation, she went to Villa Maria Academy (Highschool) and attended through part of her sophomore year. The family then moved to DeKalb Illinois, where her father worked for the A.O. Smith Corporation. She finished her sophomore year and continued the rest of her high school education at DeKalb Senior High. She met her future husband, Scott Arthur O’Connor in the fall of 1974. Her first job was part-time job working at a KFC restaurant and Scott had a friend who worked at the same place, Scott would often stop by to see his friend and grab some chicken, on one such occasion he happened to see this beautiful blond working the counter. They began to date and soon it was evident that this was a special relationship. Marybeth attended Northern Illinois University (NIU) where her husband later graduated. While at NIU, she got a job working in the Accounting Department at the College of Business. Marybeth and Scott were married on June 29, 1977 at Christ the Teacher Chapel, Newman Center on the NIU Campus. Their first home was a small 1,000 SF ranch style house built right after WWII; Marybeth quickly applied her “green-thumb” and planted gardens and many flowers around the property transforming it into an amazing display of colors. She would continue enjoying gardening the remainder of her life. In 1982 her first child was born, Magen Nicole (O’Connor) Naret. After Magen was old enough to attend day-care, Marybeth returned to the workplace as a bookkeeper for the Wurlitzer Company, who then manufactured world famous pianos and organs. She then went to work for DeKalb Pfizer now “Pfizer” corporation. In 1986 the family moved to the suburbs of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Marybeth then went to work for Price Waterhouse now “PricewaterhouseCoopers” one of the leading accounting firms. In 1988 her second child Alexis Katherine (O’Connor) Turley was born. The family then relocated back to the Chicago area for one year and in 1990 they moved to Weston Florida. Marybeth worked for several law firms during the years they spent in Weston. The next move took the family to Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida where Marybeth worked for Martin, Ade, Birchfield & Mickler, a Jacksonville law firm. She continued her hobbies of candle making, baking and gardening, with Scott setting up a “Candle Factory” in the garage for her, so that she could make seasonal candles in production batches. She loved to make and give as gifts, candles and baked goods for all occasions. In 2000 they moved to Charlotte, North Carolina for a brief stop then in 2002 they moved back to the South Florida area for good. In 2005 Marybeth went to work for the Brinkley Morgan law firm, in Fort Lauderdale as the bookkeeper where she was employed at the time of her death. She always loved working in the legal field, enjoying the company of her co-workers. On most days she was at the office 10 to 12 hours because “the work has to be done”. Marybeth enjoyed traveling and with her husband, was able to visit many parts of the world including trips to Hawaii, the Bahamas, Bermuda, the Caribbean, Europe, Thailand, India and other exciting destinations. Marybeth and her family were parishioners at St. Bonaventure Catholic Church in Davie, Florida collectively for nearly 30 years. Marybeth’s husband became active in the local Council of the Knights of Columbus, No. 12240, she was always willing to help, setting up tables for dinners, making decorations and deserts and trying to see that everyone had a nice time. As her husband rose through the ranks eventually becoming a state officer, Marybeth was always there to help. At the time of her death they had achieved the highest rank of State Deputy for the Florida Jurisdiction. At the state level events, Marybeth would often bake special treats and arrange them in little gift bags, then place them on the hotel room doors of VIP’s. One time a hotel guest (not affiliated with Knights of Columbus) who was most likely a high-level frequent-traveler in the hotels program, came down to the desk to complain to the management that he “did not get the special goodie bag”. The hotel had to let him know it was not part of their program. She and her husband chose to support Vocations development as their theme for their administration. Marybeth would often bake cookies for them and see that they were delivered around holiday times. Even after the disease began to take her strength away and the pain of just walking became an ordeal, she wanted to continue to support the work that was being done by the Knights for the Church. She attended conventions riding her electric scooter up and down the halls delivering her goodie packages and good cheer. She was looking forward to our next convention and had already begun to plan the program just two-weeks before she passed. Besides baking and gardening, Marybeth loved spending time with her family at the beach collecting shells and sharks’ teeth, studying the weather and watching thunderstorms roll in. She was very fond of her animal friends, feeding the squirrels, blue jays and other critters was part of her daily routine, basically taking care of all those around her. Marybeth is survived by her husband Scott A. O’Connor, two daughters Magen (O’Connor) Naret, Alexis (O’Connor) Turley, two grand sons Andrew Naret and Jeffrey Naret. Her mother Elizabeth (Stodolski) McCormick; five sisters; Karen Kirley, Linda Stodolski, Barbie Byrne, Lisa Haag, Lauren Costello; thirteen nieces and nephews; Mark Kirley, Jen Campbell, Chris Byrne, Patrick Byrne, Reverend Matthew Byrne, Katie Root, Jeffrey Byrne, Ricky Glenn, Nikkole Romans, Tyler Stodolski, Jacob Haag, Laura Haag, Joshua Costello and 16 grand nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her grandparents Eugene Alexander Stodolski, Barbara “Busha” Stodolski, John and Susan “Nana” Miller and her father Eugene A. Stodolski. Those wanting to donate should consider supporting the Vocations fund for seminarians or religious. Donations can be routed through Florida K of C Charities, Inc. “Vocations Fund” in memory of Marybeth O’Connor. http://www.floridakofccharities.org/donate-today