Dean O’Connell

It is with a heavy heart that I write to tell you that our dear friend, Dean O’Connell passed away unexpectedly on the evening of Friday 6th of June.

Dean was a devoted husband to Gillian and a dedicated father to Ava.

On a Saturday, Dean and Gill would be found at Maitland Park watching Ava play netball for Maitland Rugby Blacks Netball Club.

Dean was a valued and loved committee member of Maitland Pickers Rugby League Club, something that he shared doing with Gill.

Dean loved playing a round or two of golf with mates. Dean was a member of the ‘Sunday Sippers’ social golf club and was often found having a couple of beers at The Bradford Hotel.

Dean was like a brother to many people and you could not go anywhere without him knowing someone.

Dean lived life to the fullest, never a dull moment and was always on the go.

Dean always had a smile on his face and treated everybody with the same amount of respect. Dean always had time to have a chat with everyone, or lend a helping hand.

Dean was a true gentleman to the word and never had an ill word to say about anyone. To sum Dean up in one word, using one of his favourite words, ‘Legend’ continually comes to mind.

We would like to give Dean a respectful service that celebrates who he was and how much he was loved.

Any contribution, no matter how small, will help alleviate the financial strain and allow us to focus on grieving and remembering him fondly.

To help cover these costs, we’ve started a GoFundMe.

Further details will follow of when and where Deans life will be celebrated.

Thank you so much for your support, kind words, and love ❤️