Richard Paul O'Connor

Richard Paul O’Connor of Mount Laurel, New Jersey, formerly of Palmyra, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, just five months short of his 90th birthday.

Born in Philadelphia on August 12, 1936, Richard was the son of Raymond Aloysius and Mabel Catherine (née Wade) O’Connor. He attended St. Joan of Arc School through eighth grade and graduated from North Catholic High School in Philadelphia in June 1955. He began his working life immediately after graduation, holding positions at Lippincott’s Bros. and Chamberlain’s (E-Vacu-Blast) in Riverton, Hurst Campbell in Warminster, Pennsylvania, and Anchor Sales Assoc. in South Jersey.

Richard cherished his home life, family gatherings, and the traditions that bound them together. He and his wife Maureen (née Thompson), to whom he was married for 69 years, first made their home in Philadelphia, where they welcomed their first three children: Kathleen in 1958, Patricia in 1961, and Richard John in 1963. In 1966 the family moved to Palmyra, New Jersey, and their fourth child, Beth, was born in 1968. They remained in Palmyra until the children were grown and beginning families of their own. In 2005, Richard and Maureen moved to Holiday Village in Mount Laurel, where they continued to reside.

He is survived by his devoted wife Maureen and their loving children and families: Kathleen (William Sleister) of Cherry Hill, Patricia (David Primavera) of Sewell, Richard (Linda Lomas) of Cinnaminson, and Beth (Richard Wade) of Maple Shade. He will be deeply missed by his five cherished grandchildren—Caitlin Maureen, Meghan (Jake Ziegler), Sarah Catherine, Sean Patrick, and Ashlyn Catherine—and his great-grandson Benjamin Ryan Ziegler, born in 2023. Richard was predeceased by his brothers Raymond J. O’Connor and Francis J. Fritz.