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#1: Jota (jota) on Apr 15, 2023

So sad!

Yes,he will be missed!

Oh my word. How awful. So sad to hear this. May the good Lord comfort his family and all his friends.

I'm so sorry to hear this. Tom was such a giant within our community.

Oh, so sorry to hear this.
I'd been wondering about him--missed his comments and his puzzles. He seemed a very nice man with a zest for life.

Thank you for letting all of us know. I appreciate it. I'm not on any social networks.

That's very sad news.

My condolences to all. I enjoyed his puzzles very much.

As soon as his daughter told me, I knew he deserved our memories and prayers.

So sad

:-(

It's very hard to believe he is gone. He was such a big part of webpbn. My condolences to his family.

This is terrible news. I haven't been a member of the community nearly as long as others who have posted here, but it was always good to see his puzzles or comments.

Condolences to his family.

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This is so sad to hear. I have enjoyed Tom's puzzles for such a long time. My condolences to his family and the WEBPBN family.

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Sending love and hugs to his family. I will really miss his puzzles. They were among the best.

He will be missed. Condolences to his loved ones.

I loved his puzzles. I know that we all value our privacy in this day and age, but I feel that we are a family. I loved it when Aldege told us a bit about himself. I cried when Jan died, and now I'm crying for Tom. Was he sick? How old was he? I hope I'm not crossing any lines by asking. Love and prayers for him and his family.

I echo all of you. I think we all form some sort of mental construct of the people on this wonderful site, based on their puzzles and comments. Tom was a free-wheeling sort who found the fun and pleasures of life every day. Wow, I can't believe how sad I am for someone (and hos family and community) I've never met. Godspeed, Sensei.

It is always a joy to sit and solve puzzles by you all. I'm not the creative one, to make puzzles that might be remembered, but I have found so many who are, here. Tom was one of the best, for sure. His quality and, as so many of you have said, the fun of so many of his themes and ideas, will be very sorely missed. What a strong community this is, only online for so many of us. As many of you said, I never met, really, any of you, and yet I am very, very sad that Tom is gone. Rest In Peace, Sensei. You are already missed.

He will indeed be missed! :-(

My condolences to Tom's family and the webPBN community. Though his puzzles make up only 2% of my completion portfolio, each of them provided 100% satisfaction. I am particularly fond of his ability to put beauty in a small package (e.g. the namesake puzzle #23159).

Sending our condolences <3

So sad to hear this...I'm so sorry.

Wow! Just now seeing this! This happened while I was mostly away from webpbn for a little while when life was too hectic. I remember seeing a comment quite a while ago about missing him, but thought it was because he had been away from the site too. I was just wondering about him again a couple of days ago! So very sad!

It's very sad ...

Do you know if there is an obituary somewhere Jota?

I'm not sure. Her daughter was the one who contacted me and gave me the news.
"Just got a text from Tom O'Connell's daughter Carrie in New York".

I tried doing a web search, but didn't find one that was definitely him.

Thanks Jota, I was just curious. I do like to see people from different perspectives especially when things have been written in an effort to honor their memory. It's like a small part of them is part of me now.

Thanks for looking Valerie. I tried to find it too, but didn't have any luck either.

His daughter told me he was at hospice for a little while, so I'm guessing near Raleigh NC where he lived at a Senior Center? But have no idea. She also told me that the other "daughter" who had appeared later, saying she was conceived while he was in the military, was a "'fake". Lives are complicated and may be death makes them more complicated. Who knows! I miss him, cause he was smart and funny and we had a great time during the meetings for the WCP.

Goodness :( As it turns out, about 6 months after he passed I moved to Charlotte, NC and now go to Raleigh every so often. Two ships in the night.

Wow!

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