Stephen Michael O'Neil

Stephen Michael O’Neil

November 15, 1936 - July 20, 2023

Beaverton, Oregon - Born in Chicago on November 15, 1936, Stephen passed away peacefully on July 20, 2023 at his home in Beaverton, Oregon. He was the eldest child born to Stephen Thomas O’Neil and Margaret Frances O’Neil (Ryan). He grew up in Chicago in a working class Irish Catholic Family. He graduated from St. Mel’s Catholic High School in Chicago in 1955 and St. Mary’s University of Minnesota in 1959. He served in the United States Army from 1960 to 1962 as an S2 Clerk and he was stationed in Germany. He married the love of his life, Dorothea Maria Schmidt, a German immigrant, on September 7, 1963 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. They were married for 36 years before her death in 1999. They lived in Minneapolis, where they had a son, Stephen Ryan, and then they later moved to Portland, where they had their second son Patrick Higgins. Stephen worked at Bell Telephone doing sales for many years. Stephen was an incredibly curious and friendly person who loved to talk about history and politics. He loved his family more than anyone else in the world. 

He is survived by his sons Stephen, of Vancouver, WA, and Patrick (Jayne), of Tacoma, WA, his grandchildren, Thomas and Katherine, also of Tacoma. His sister, Patricia Kerrigan, of Northbrook, IL, his brother-in-law, Frank Basile, of Lemont, IL, nieces and nephews, Jimmy, Megan, Nora, Maureen, Jerry, Andrew, and Tricia, as well as many cousins, friends, and extended family members. 

He was predeceased in death by his parents, his wife, his sister Peggy Basile, and his brother-in-law Jerry Kerrigan.