Francis W. O'Connell
December 18, 1947 ~ January 2, 2023
After 75 years of doing things his way, Francis W. “Frank” “Skip” O’Connell III faced his final curtain on Jan. 2, 2023 at his home in Moultonborough, New Hampshire.
A devoted son, brother, husband, father, grandfather and friend, Frank was born Dec. 18, 1947 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He grew up in Arlington, the beloved son of the late Patricia (Coakley) O’Connell and Francis W. O’Connell Jr and step-son of Lorretta O’Connell.
Frank graduated from Salem State College and received his Master’s in Business Administration from Suffolk University. He taught business classes at Suffolk, Boston University, and UMass Lowell following a long and distinguished career as Vice President of International Human Resources at The Gillette Company in Boston.
Frank and Nancy (Nazzaro) raised their family in Beverly, Massachusetts but his work also gave the O’Connells the opportunity to live in Frankfurt, Germany and Carlow, Ireland for several years.
He was an enthusiastic world traveler and he and Nancy, his beloved wife of 55 years, visited every continent on the planet except Antarctica. He had a map covered in stick pins marking all the sites of Skip and Nancy’s excellent adventures.
Frank had the rare ability to make and keep friends for life, most notably Johnny Niland, whom he met in kindergarten, Michael Dwyer whom he met in 3rd grade and Frank Birmingham, from his freshman year at Salem State
Above all, Frank fiercely loved his family and friends.
A generous grandfather who prized and supported his grandchildren’s educations, he treasured taking them on his early morning trips to JoJo's Country Store to buy his newspaper, overpriced toys and a dog bone.
Frank loved to ski in good company, to stir the pot for the sake of good conversation -- or just to stir the pot. He enjoyed boating on Lake Winnipesaukee, paperback espionage novels, James Bond movies, a good hand of poker and tinkering in his workshop, where he designed his Moultonborough home. He handmade an ornament for Nancy every Christmas.
In recent years, he and his loving pound puppy Lucy were inseparable. Since his passing, every time a car pulls up or a door opens she looks up expectantly, awaiting his return. He was equally devoted to his late Rhodesian Ridgebacks Jabori and Damisi.
He is survived by his wife Nancy, his daughter NH Senator Debra O’Connell Altschiller and her husband, Howard (Stratham, NH); son Scott O’Connell, and his wife, Emma (Vail, CO); sisters Patricia, Barbie, Maureen and their husbands Ken, Martin and Tom, step-sisters Susan Hart and Patricia Scarlotti; grandchildren Marina, Connell, Braedan, Nicolas and Gabriel and numerous cherished nieces and nephews.
Frank enjoyed Jim Beam bourbon, Amphora Red pipe tobacco and thick pork chops at the Texas Roadhouse. He was quick to raise a glass to offer a heartfelt Irish toast that usually began:
“May you have a full moon on a dark night,
A warm fire on a cold night,
And good friends on a lonely night.”
Frank was loved and is already greatly missed.
A celebration of life will be held Saturday, Jan. 7, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Mayhew Funeral Home, 204 D.W. Highway in Meredith, NH, followed by a reception.
A second celebration of life will be held at C.R. Lyons & Sons Funeral Home, 28 Elm Street, Danvers, MA on Sunday, Jan. 8th from 2-4PM at with a short service at 4PM and reception to follow.
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Dear Nancy, Debra and Scott,
Frank and I shared 30 years together at Gillette. He was a wonderful friend and colleague whose work ethic, leadership and dedication to the Human Resources function at The Gillette Company was inspirational. He was a gifted executive whose vision helped to create a world-class International HR team. His creation and nurturing of the “Gillette International Trainee Program” was instrumental in identifying and developing hundreds of talented business leaders who made significant contributions to the global growth and success of the Company. Beyond his impressive business contributions, Frank was a wonderful colleague and friend with a wicked, yet understated, but often spot-on sense of humor. We had many wonderful times together in Germany, Ireland, Asia and across the vast Gillette global footprint. Closer to home were the ski trips, poker games and just sitting around with a few Irish whiskeys discussing business, family, careers and life. He was instrumental in convincing me to relocate to Ireland for what turned out to be a pivotal job in my career. I will be forever grateful for his support, friendship and insight.
Ned Guillet