Donald James O'Neill

Donald James O'Neill, age 65 of Athens, Georgia, passed away Thursday, November 9, at the home he shared with his beloved wife Darla, after a brief battle with esophageal cancer.

Born in Newark, New Jersey, Mr. O'Neill was the son of the late William Ward O'Neill and the late Mary Loyce Henley O'Neill. The O'Neill's were longtime residents of Tampa, Florida, where they raised their family. As a youth, Don excelled in sports: playing little league baseball, boxing, wrestling, and playing football for the Hillsborough High School Terriers as left guard. And later as an adult, he played on several church league softball teams and coached youth basketball and volleyball. After graduating from high school, he served in the Florida National Guard as a Medic, and entered the apprenticeship program as a plumber/pipefitter in the Tampa local of the United Association.

Mr. O'Neill was of the Christian faith and it was at church that he met his future wife, Darla Wilson, of Dry Pond, Georgia. They courted amongst the beauty of the North Georgia mountains which he loved so much, and married at the UGA State Botanical Gardens in 1981. Many adventures were to come over the course of their 36 year marriage. They lived in Florida, Georgia and Tennessee and enjoyed travel throughout the US from Maine to Washington State, and in Canada from Prince Edward Island to Vancouver Island. They made two special trips to Ireland and visited the ancient seat of power of the Ui'Neill Clan at Tara, County Meath, and ancestral O'Neill holdings in Northern Ireland.
He held a Georgia Master Plumber's license and worked as a journeyman union plumber, pipefitter, and welder on a variety of construction projects throughout the US, such as Tampa Stadium, TVA's Watts Bar and Georgia Power's Vogtle nuclear power plants, and the DOE cutting edge research facility, The Spallation Neutron Source, at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He also provided HVAC mechanical service in a broad range of venues, including numerous hospitals throughout Georgia and Tennessee, CNN's headquarters in Atlanta, the Knox County (TN) correctional facility, and Fort Campbell Army and Kings Bay Naval Submarine bases. He retired from the pipe trades while working out of the Knoxville local office of the United Association.
An active outdoorsman, he enjoyed fishing, especially fly fishing the mountain streams of North Georgia and Tennessee, and hunting deer, quail and duck. Inspired by his experience as a Boy Scout in Florida, he was an enthusiastic supporter of scouting and served in various leadership roles in the Boy Scouts of America in East Tennessee. And it was in Tennessee that he and his wife were able to realize their dream of operating their own farm, raising Scotch Highland cattle, Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats, and an assortment of other livestock and poultry plus a home vegetable garden. It was farming that was his greatest passion. He was also a lifelong learner -- a devoted student of the Bible, and widely read on many historical and contemporary topics which he enjoyed discussing. Though they only recently returned to North Georgia, he was excited to resume close ties to his wife's family and had looked forward to spending time with them in his new home. During his brief battle with cancer, they were tremendous support and he was deeply grateful for their love and devotion. Don died in the faith and in full confidence of God's promises through Christ of redemption, resurrection and restoration in his coming kingdom. He was just an ordinary man who did extraordinary things for other people, all to the glory of God.

Preceding Don in death were his parents and his dearly loved twin sister, Mary Jane O'Neill, Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Survivors in addition to his wife Darla include sisters Eda (Andy) Randazzo, Wesley Chapel, Florida, and Karen (Kevin) Dennis, Oak Creek, Colorado, an aunt, Dorothy Gibbs of Lake City, Florida, and numerous cousins, sisters- and brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.
The family wishes to extend their heartfelt gratitude for the compassionate care that Don received from Dr. Heather Brody and staff of Community Internal Medicine of Athens, and oncologists Dr. Petros Nikolinakos and Dr. Ronald Terry and staff at University Cancer and Blood Center, also of Athens, Georgia.

A private memorial will be held Saturday, November 25.

Online condolences may be made at http://www.iviefuneralhomecommerce.com

Arrangements are in the care of Ivie Funeral Home, Commerce, GA.