Surrounded by his loving family, Michael Andrew O’Neill, a long time resident of Lower Gwynedd, PA died peacefully at his home on August 17, 2019. He was 68 years old.
Mike was the beloved husband of 40 years to Heather (nee Munro), adored father to children Ian and Ross (Lea) of Ocean City, NJ, Lisle Sanna (Christopher) of Wilmington DE, and Bryn of Ardmore, PA, and grandchildren Bray, Munro, and Sutton Sanna.
Raised in Cazenovia NY, he was the loving brother of Patrick O’Neill of Boston, MA, Maureen (Martin McGovern) of Oxford UK, Elizabeth MacCaughey of Winchester, MA, and Timothy (Patti) O’Neill of Cincinnati, OH. Mike was also a favored uncle to numerous nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents, Elizabeth (Hesburgh) and Robert O’Neill, brother Robert, and sister-in-law Jayne O’Neill.
Mike was the rarest of souls, a selfless man who never took himself seriously while always putting others first. Mike was a child of small town America, an Eagle Scout, raised in upstate New York. He carried an enduring curiosity and a sincere interest in getting to know people wherever he went. He earned a rotary scholarship to Argentina in 1966. After returning from South America, his family relocated from Cazenovia to Norwich NY, and his penchant for quickly making friends resulted in being elected senior class president at Norwich High School. His easy going nature and almost complete lack of ego served him well throughout his illustrious career as an international negotiator for Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. A worldly man, he spoke 3 languages and visited 5 continents and 65 countries.
Mike loved family, travel, and college football. Family vacations tended to have circuitous routes that always seemed to find the family making their way to places like Happy Valley or South Bend, Indiana, where Mike graduated from the University of Notre Dame. He loved National Parks and camping, and made it a priority in his life to steal a month away from work each summer to pack the family into a van and head to many of America’s greatest natural wonders. Mike saved a special place in his heart for Ocean City, New Jersey, where early beach morning walks with black labs Perry and Dexter were often made to the important OC landmarks, like Ward’s Pastry.
Mike met the love of his life, Heather, while attending Georgetown University’s Master’s School of Foreign Service. The moment Mike first saw Heather, he told a complete stranger sitting next to him in class, “I’m going to marry her.” On their first date, and having forgotten to bring flowers, Mike improvised a bouquet from a nearby garden and a Campbell’s Soup can, because it’s always the thought that counts. Heather became his number one, the foundation of his life, and their marriage was long-lasting and full of love.
Following his retirement, Mike joined the “Ambler Writers Group” where he honed his lifelong love of words and crafted a novel entitled, “Wolfdog”, which carries the inscription, “a small town, a big dog, and the family he raised.”
One of Mikey’s favorite sayings, which was representative of the manner with which he lived his life was, “be generous in small ways.” Those who called him friend or family knew he was generous in big ways, too.
Friends and relatives are invited to attend his funeral Mass at 11:00am on Friday, August 23, 2019 at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 16 South Spring Garden Street, Ambler, PA. Guests are invited to visit the family at the Simcox-McIlvaine Funeral Home at 532 East Main Street in Lansdale, PA 19446 from 4pm to 8pm on Thursday, August 22, 2019 or on Friday, August 23 from 9am to 11am at St. Joseph Catholic Church prior to Mass.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Mike’s memory may be made to either Ursinus College https://www.ursinus.edu/support-uc/or to the University of Notre Dame https://donate.nd.edu/.