WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. - John Thomas O'Connor, 79, of Williamstown, Mass., died peacefully on Friday, December 20, 2019, at the Vermont Veterans Home in Bennington, Vt., with his wife and daughters at his side.

John was born in Marlboro, Mass., on January 2, 1940, son of James Thomas and Mildred (Blais) O'Connor. He graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 1963 with a degree in English literature and joined the U.S. Naval Air Reserve, serving two years in the Aleutian Islands.

Back on the East Coast, John worked for IBM as a computer systems engineer for 25 years. He then returned to school to earn a Master's degree in organizational psychology from RPI and pursued a second career as a psychology instructor at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. He was an excellent golfer and a member of the Taconic Golf Club, where he enjoyed meeting new people and trading jokes.

John was a lifelong musician, playing trombone, piano, trumpet, tuba, and saxophone with several local bands, including the Billville Baileys and the Flatbed Jazz Band. He also taught himself fly fishing, downhill skiing, sewing, samurai sword making, and how to bake bread. He and his wife Margy moved to Williamstown in 1971 and loved the nearby rivers and woods; he never drove by a tag sale without stopping.

He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Margaret (Piper) O'Connor; two daughters, Ellen Hartigan-O'Connor (married to Dennis) of Kensington, Calif., and Meg O'Connor of Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.; three grandchildren, Eamon, Finn and Desmond; his sister, Janice Phillipps of Chelmsford, Mass.; and his niece Courtney and nephew Michael.

Funeral notice: A memorial service for John T. O'Connor will be held on Sunday, January 19, 2020, at 2 p.m. at the First Congregational Church of Williamstown. Burial will be private. Memorial donations may be made to Mount Greylock Friends of the Arts or the Alzheimer’s Association in care of the FLYNN & DAGNOLI FUNERAL HOME, WEST CHAPELS, 521 West Main St. North Adams, MA 01247. To add to the Book of Memories, please visit www.flynndagnolifuneralhomes.com.