O'Connell Family Fire Fund
Donation protected
Update 12/12/2020 by Judy O'Connell Please Share
Hello everyone! :)
I’m sorry it has taken so long to write this... it has been and still is a total whirlwind :) ... and I have also been at a total loss for words on how to thank you all!!! (Those of you who know me well, though, know that this will not deter me!! :) I will prob end up with a couple of pages here no joke lol.
Anyway.... dear friends and family (near and far, old and new ), and when I say this, I speak for all of us... all of these “categories” of people I list apply to not only Mike and I, but also to Grace (and Matt) and Genevieve and John)... dear neighbors, friends of neighbors, coworkers (of all of ours, past and present), friends of coworkers, teachers, coaches, advisors and staff at Kenmore East (! Omg! ❤️)...and Franklin Elementary and Middle... teammates over the years of Grace, Gen and John’s, parents of teammates, music friends and teachers at Ken East, STAGE (Summer Theatre)... let’s see...friends of friends! Siblings of friends, neighbors of friends, parents and siblings of other relatives friends and coworkers, clients and customers of friends ... the level of support has been mind boggling! past schoolmates of Mike and I.. from elementary AND high school! ... unreal ... and all the anonymous people!!!! God bless! .....and all the many people, of course, who are not necessarily on the “go fund me” that have also sent support in so many different (and creative) ways ! Dear lifelong friend Colleen Tasker Doll for setting up and managing the GFM for us! And Johnny’s friend, Jake Elgie, who also set one up for us before realizing there already was one! ❤️
Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!!!! How do we ever thank you all?!? We are so overwhelmed and grateful for all this support (understatement!).
I can’t imagine how we’d be getting through all this without it... of course the financial support is amazing, but the moral and emotional support this shows is beyond belief and has definitely made us realize and feel that we are not alone! You will never know how much this has saved us! It has made us feel safe and protected by many many loving and caring people :) and has created a good “distraction” of sorts hearing from so many... :)
Thank you for sharing in our grief and fear and shock, and so quickly (immediately) turning those emotions for us into overflowing heartfelt gratitude and relief and actually joy and so many other positive emotions that were evoked in response to the outpouring of love and empathy from you all.
We love and thank you all, are so blessed to know you, or have known you or know someone who knows you! :)
Ken-Ton / Western New York has always been a great loving caring community and this is obviously another amazing tribute to that truth❤️
We hope and plan to pay this generosity forward in multiple ways over the years to come, we have started a list of ideas :) — and would also like to hold a HUGE open house celebration on the corner of Montrose and Carpenter when we rebuild our home there (hopefully that’s how it will go ) for all of you who have helped us to do that! Date TBD! :) Details to follow!! Haha. Mike is telling me to put a disclaimer on that cause he’s not sure if we can actually hold a party for 600+ people. Why not?! :)
In the meantime, all the best to you and yours, hope everybody is doing well and saying safe. Have a happy holiday season. And Oh yeah... GO BILLS!!!!!
XOXO Love, Judy, Mike (Oakie), Genevieve and John O’Connell, Grace and Matt Butler ❤️❤️❤️
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November 27, 2020
The morning after Thanksgiving, 2020. The O'Connell home was ravaged by fire. By the grace of God, one woke to the smell of smoke, and alerted the others. The family fled the home, only to stand watching it destroyed by flames, smoke and water. Goldie, their sweet golden retriever, was rescued, but sadly, Lupita, an adored cat, was lost.
The O'Connell's home was one put together thoughtfully with love. Adorned with paintings and hand made items created by family and friends. Everywhere in the O'Connell home there was something which held great meaning. Family heirlooms, photos, gifts, mementos. Historic pieces, carefully selected, collected and enjoyed. It was a beautiful home in the fullest sense. So much was lost which cannot be replaced. The home told their story. It embodied the beautiful family it sheltered.
Today the O'Connell's are without a home, clothes or belongings. They have each other, and they have the love of family and friends. Let's reach out and show our love and support by donating.
Hello everyone! :)
I’m sorry it has taken so long to write this... it has been and still is a total whirlwind :) ... and I have also been at a total loss for words on how to thank you all!!! (Those of you who know me well, though, know that this will not deter me!! :) I will prob end up with a couple of pages here no joke lol.
Anyway.... dear friends and family (near and far, old and new ), and when I say this, I speak for all of us... all of these “categories” of people I list apply to not only Mike and I, but also to Grace (and Matt) and Genevieve and John)... dear neighbors, friends of neighbors, coworkers (of all of ours, past and present), friends of coworkers, teachers, coaches, advisors and staff at Kenmore East (! Omg! ❤️)...and Franklin Elementary and Middle... teammates over the years of Grace, Gen and John’s, parents of teammates, music friends and teachers at Ken East, STAGE (Summer Theatre)... let’s see...friends of friends! Siblings of friends, neighbors of friends, parents and siblings of other relatives friends and coworkers, clients and customers of friends ... the level of support has been mind boggling! past schoolmates of Mike and I.. from elementary AND high school! ... unreal ... and all the anonymous people!!!! God bless! .....and all the many people, of course, who are not necessarily on the “go fund me” that have also sent support in so many different (and creative) ways ! Dear lifelong friend Colleen Tasker Doll for setting up and managing the GFM for us! And Johnny’s friend, Jake Elgie, who also set one up for us before realizing there already was one! ❤️
Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!!!! How do we ever thank you all?!? We are so overwhelmed and grateful for all this support (understatement!).
I can’t imagine how we’d be getting through all this without it... of course the financial support is amazing, but the moral and emotional support this shows is beyond belief and has definitely made us realize and feel that we are not alone! You will never know how much this has saved us! It has made us feel safe and protected by many many loving and caring people :) and has created a good “distraction” of sorts hearing from so many... :)
Thank you for sharing in our grief and fear and shock, and so quickly (immediately) turning those emotions for us into overflowing heartfelt gratitude and relief and actually joy and so many other positive emotions that were evoked in response to the outpouring of love and empathy from you all.
We love and thank you all, are so blessed to know you, or have known you or know someone who knows you! :)
Ken-Ton / Western New York has always been a great loving caring community and this is obviously another amazing tribute to that truth❤️
We hope and plan to pay this generosity forward in multiple ways over the years to come, we have started a list of ideas :) — and would also like to hold a HUGE open house celebration on the corner of Montrose and Carpenter when we rebuild our home there (hopefully that’s how it will go ) for all of you who have helped us to do that! Date TBD! :) Details to follow!! Haha. Mike is telling me to put a disclaimer on that cause he’s not sure if we can actually hold a party for 600+ people. Why not?! :)
In the meantime, all the best to you and yours, hope everybody is doing well and saying safe. Have a happy holiday season. And Oh yeah... GO BILLS!!!!!
XOXO Love, Judy, Mike (Oakie), Genevieve and John O’Connell, Grace and Matt Butler ❤️❤️❤️
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
November 27, 2020
The morning after Thanksgiving, 2020. The O'Connell home was ravaged by fire. By the grace of God, one woke to the smell of smoke, and alerted the others. The family fled the home, only to stand watching it destroyed by flames, smoke and water. Goldie, their sweet golden retriever, was rescued, but sadly, Lupita, an adored cat, was lost.
The O'Connell's home was one put together thoughtfully with love. Adorned with paintings and hand made items created by family and friends. Everywhere in the O'Connell home there was something which held great meaning. Family heirlooms, photos, gifts, mementos. Historic pieces, carefully selected, collected and enjoyed. It was a beautiful home in the fullest sense. So much was lost which cannot be replaced. The home told their story. It embodied the beautiful family it sheltered.
Today the O'Connell's are without a home, clothes or belongings. They have each other, and they have the love of family and friends. Let's reach out and show our love and support by donating.
Organizer and beneficiary
Richard Doll
Organizer
South Wales, NY
Judith OConnell
Beneficiary