Barbara H. O'Connor

Barbara H. O’Connor, 88, passed away on Wednesday February 22, 2024 at Connecticut Hospice in Branford. She was predeceased in 2015 by her loving husband of 53 years, William F. O’Connor. A lifelong resident of Connecticut, Barbara was born in New Haven on June 7, 1935, a daughter of the late George W. and Marguerite Lynch Hill. Her family moved to West Haven when she was twelve years old and she lived there until 2019, when she moved to Atria Larson Place in Hamden.
Barbara is survived by her sister, Margery (Jack) Caldwell of Grosse Pointe Farms, MI and Jupiter, FL; her nephews, Kenneth Flynn (Kay) of Cheshire and David O’Connor (Mona) of Jacksonville, FL; her nieces, Patricia Garcia (John) of Bethany, Maureen Furtak (Robert) of East Haven and Lauren Carey (Tom) of Shelton; and her best friends and neighbors of 45 years, Marion and Bill Black and Teri Aquino.
She graduated from Quinnipiac University with a master’s degree in Allied Health Sciences. She was a registered Medical Technologist with a Specialist in Hematology license from the American Society of Clinical Pathologists. She completed 18 months training at the Yale-New Haven School of Medical Technology and then took a position working in the hematology laboratory there for over 38 years until her retirement in 1998. She spent seven years as chief technologist and then as the teacher and clinical coordinator in hematology. She was the author of a hematology textbook entitled “A Color Atlas and Instruction Manual of Peripheral Blood Cell Morphology,” which sold for thirty years.
She was active in the West Haven Garden Club and later the Milford Garden Club and served as President of both clubs. Barbara was a Master Flower Show Judge Emeritus and served on the Board of the Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut. She was a State Program Chairman and then State Yearbook Chairman. She enjoyed making flower arrangements and entering flower shows as well as judging shows.
Barbara and her husband Bill enjoyed traveling. Their houseboating trip with eighteen friends was a special highlight, as was their trip to Ireland to watch West Haven friends run in the Irish marathon. They enjoyed trips to many of the Western National Parks, the Canadian Rockies, and especially Italy.
Friends are invited to visit with her family on Thursday, February 29th from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. at BEECHER & BENNETT FUNERAL HOME, 2300 Whitney Ave., Hamden. A Funeral Service celebrating her life will take place at 11:00 a.m. in the funeral home, followed by her entombment in St. Lawrence Cemetery. Contributions in her memory may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, www.stjude.org.