January 8, 1941-April 24, 2025

On April 24, 2025, Patricia Ann O’Connell, beloved wife and mother, passed away at the age of 84.  Patricia was born on January 8, 1941, in Bradgate, Iowa to Glenn and Pauline Dailey, and raised in Rolfe, Iowa.  After graduating from Rolfe High School, she attended the Mercy School of Nursing in Des Moines, Iowa.  In Des Moines, she met her future husband, Michael "Mike" J. O’Connell, a young crop insurance agent, at a dance.  They married on June 22, 1963, at St. Margaret Catholic Church in Rolfe, and remained happily married for over 55 years until Mike’s passing in 2021.

In 1964, they welcomed their son, Patrick J. O’Connell, followed by daughters Mary C. O’Connell and Jane A. O’Connell.  While the family moved frequently in the 1960s and early 1970s due to Mike’s career, they built their dream home in Leawood, Kansas in 1977 and Patricia resided there until 2021 when she moved to Lawrence, Kansas to be closer to her daughter, Mary.  She loved traveling and marveled at the places she visited. Her children all inherited her love of music.  She was particularly fond of Willie Nelson, The Mavericks, and The Pogues.  She loved dancing with Mike. She and Mike would often dance around the kitchen to their favorite songs.

Most of all, she loved her family and was an extraordinary mother and grandmother.

Patricia was preceded in death by her husband and son. She is survived by daughter and son-in-law Mary O'Connell and Steven Hill, daughter and son-in-law Jane O'Connell and Douglas Schulte, daughter-in-law Laura O’Connell, sister Karen Widestrom, brother Richard Dailey, and her beloved grandchildren Ellen O'Connell, Joseph O'Connell, Juliana Hill, Zachary Hill, Veronica Hill, and Gavin O'Connell-Schulte.

No services are planned at this time. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Lawrence, Kansas’ Visiting Nurses Association (https://kansasvna.org/).