Colleen H. O’Connor

Colleen Hannon O’Connor, age 96, died peacefully on Tuesday, Dec. 30, at Aviva Living in Valparaiso. 

Colleen was raised by Gladys and Michael Hannon on Chicago’s south side along with her siblings Joan and Jerry. She graduated from Our Lady of Loretto High School and briefly attended DePaul University. During a Bass Lake weekend get-away, she met and later married, Timothy R. O’Connor. She traded city life for farm life in Winamac. Tim and Colleen together raised five children on a small family farm of livestock and grain in the Pulaski County countryside.

In midlife, Colleen was part of the inaugural Dairy Queen team; a dedicated Red Cross blood bank volunteer, and St. Joseph Catholic Church member and Christian Mother member, cooking and making noodles for funeral dinners and gatherings. She enjoyed being a grandmother and hosted innumerable holidays and gatherings so her large growing family could be together in love and laughter.

At age 90, Colleen left her beloved Winamac to live closer to her daughters in the Valparaiso area. She is survived by: Edward O’Connor [Nancy], Linda Arzola [Gilbert], Rebecca Stauffer, John O’Connor [Vickie], Heather Pendery [Dave]; nine grandchildren: April, Bevin, Tim [Lynn], Jennifer, Christi [Morgan], Keiran [Taylor], Fallyn, Connor and Chapman; and five great-grandchildren: Brogan, Edward, Elizabeth, Penelope and Georgie.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Timothy R. O’Connor; her parents and siblings, as well as her son-in-law, Neil Stauffer.

Per Colleen’s wishes, a private family service will be held with burial following at St. Peter’s Catholic Cemetery in Winamac.

Memorial contributions may be made to Dunes Hospice, 4711 Evans Avenue, Valparaiso, Indiana 46383, www.duneshospicellc.com.

The family wishes to thank the caregivers and staff at Aviva Living and Dune Hospice for their love and care during Colleen’s final days.

(Pulaski County Journal — Jan. 7, 2026)