Thomas A. O'Connor

   Thomas Anthony O’Connor, 42, of Rush City, MN, lost his three year battle to pancreatic cancer on Friday, December 11, 2020. He passed away in his home, surrounded and comforted by his loving family.

            He was born April 9, 1978 in Robbinsdale, Minnesota to Thomas and Debra (Dunnigan) O’Connor.  The family lived for a time in Rockford, MN, and Sioux City, Iowa and eventually settled in Champlin, MN.  Tom graduated from Champlin High School in 1996 and went on to earn a degree in computer science at Brown Institute.  He began his career working at Sony in the gaming systems department, and in 2005 he found his passion working at Johnsville Elementary School in Blaine. He loved his work and the people he worked with, and he was proud to call himself a Jaguar.  Many of his co-workers became lifelong friends.  

            On November 13, 2004 he was united in marriage to the love of his life Briana Youngdale at Maple Grove Lutheran Church.  They made their first home in Champlin together and had two beautiful daughters, Carly in 2005 and Rachel in 2008.  Following their time in Champlin, they moved to Andover, and after years of dreaming of a hobby farm with horses, the family began their long awaited adventure in 2015 making their home in rural Rush City.

            Tom always loved cars; working on cars, talking about cars, and racing cars on ice with friends and his daughters. He was also a devoted member of the car club (LIC). He enjoyed riding snowmobile, fishing, and driving his Ranger around the farm, but what he loved most was spending time with his family and friends. He was a wonderful caring husband, father, son, and friend, and he had an undeniably generous spirit about him.

            He was preceded in death by his grandparents Richard Dunnigan, and Thomas and Loretta O’Connor.  Tom is survived by his wife Briana, daughters Carly (15) and Rachel (12), parents Thomas and Debra O’Connor of Tucson, AZ, grandmother Patricia Dunnigan of Champlin, parents-in-law Mark & Carol Youngdale of Maple Grove, sister-in-law Sammy Youngdale of Minnetonka, as well as numerous loved aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

            An official Celebration of Tom’s Life will be held at a later date.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Thomas A. O'Connor, please visit our floral store.