Print This Obituary

Shirley H. O’Connell, age 93, died on Tuesday, October 3, 2023, at Park View Health Center in Oshkosh. She was born December 5, 1929, at home, in the Town of Poygan to the late Oscar and Meta (Gebauer) Lee. Shirley attended White School and Omro High School. On June 5, 1948, she married John P. O’Connell at St. Thomas Catholic Church in Poygan and they were married 52 years before John’s passing on March 15, 2001.

Shirley worked at various canning companies. Beginning in the late ‘50s she worked at Winneconne Canning Company and she retired in the late ‘80s from Stokely in Pickett. In 1963 John and Shirley dug a channel on the south shore of Lake Poygan. Shirley went to school in Green Bay to get her realtor license and in 1964 began selling channel lots. For 35 years, she worked at the old Poygan Town Hall as an election ballet counter. She enjoyed bowling, playing cribbage with her grandchildren and going to casinos. Shirley and John traveled the United States, seeing all but two states. She was a member of St. Mary Catholic Church in Winneconne.

In 1982 when John retired from farming, they built their home on the “T” of the channel and enjoyed going for boat rides and fishing. While she resided at Park View, she enjoyed playing bingo, trivia and watching the birds.

Shirley is survived by her three children, her daughters, Lynn Huettl and Sharon Huettl, both of Poygan; her son, Tom O’Connell, of Oshkosh; seven grandchildren, Pat, Cari, Kevin (girlfriend, Nicole), Michael, Matt (Jessica), Nick, Rachel (Shannon); five great-grandchildren, Jessica (Samantha), Hunter, Morgan, Alex and Dean. She is further survived by several nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, other relatives and friends.

Along with her parents and husband, Shirley was also preceded in death by her brothers and sister-in-law, Clarence and Helen Lee, Lowell Lee; sisters and brothers-in-law, Virginia and Robert Carpenter, Marjorie and Lewis Wesner; her father-in-law and mother-in-law, Joseph Sr. and Lena (Shano) O’Connell; sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, Irene and Russell Mosely, Ethel and Donald Cosgrove, Marjorie and John Lueders, Florence and Wayne Romberg, Lester and Shirley M. O’Connell; a son-in-law, Ralph Huettl; and two very special friends, Joyce Mc Rae and Josephine Gruenwald.

The family would like to thank the staff at Park View on Parkside 1 and Lakeside 1 for all of their excellent care of Mother.

Cremation will take place and a visitation for family and friends will be on Saturday, October 14, 2023, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at Mueller Funeral Home 904 E. Main St. Winneconne. A funeral service will be held on Saturday, October 14 at 6:00 p.m. at the funeral home with Deacon Paul Vidmar officiating. Interment will be at a later date in the St. Thomas Cemetery-Poygan.

If you wish please submit online condolences to muellerfh.net.