Jerry O’Connor

Geraldine Ann Hilberger, known to everyone as Jerry, was born to Gladys Heater and Laurance Hilberger in St. Joseph, MO on Monday, April 9, 1928. She lived a modest Midwestern childhood, raised by and with grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins as well as her younger half-brother, Ronnie. Jerry was born in her father's parents' small house, which she described as having a large vegetable garden and fruit trees that were great for canning. Prior to marriage, she was also known by her stepfather's last name, Hutchinson. Throughout Jerry's life, she talked about the importance of extended family, acknowledging that because of her own, she was always surrounded by lots of love and laughter. This upbringing would influence how she raised her own family, and by extension, their families. Before her death on Thursday, June 9, 2022, Jerry's greatest wish was that this generation's extended family remain close and pass this value and tradition onto future generations. This is her greatest legacy, and one that will continue. Jerry is predeceased by her husband of 68 years, Wallace O'Connor, known to everyone as Wally, and survived by four children, Pamela June (ne O'Connor) and her husband Mike June, Cynthia Hollinger (ne O'Connor), Kelly O'Connor and his wife Mary O'Connor and Kerry Koehler (ne O'Connor) and her husband Gerhard Koehler; ten grandchildren, Mary Mullen, Michael June and his wife Jennifer June (ne Boggs), Jennifer June, Brooke Hollinger, Brandon O'Connor and his wife Chelsea O'Connor (ne Kuster), Kyle Koehler and his wife Alyssa Stratton, Casey O'Connor and her husband Andrey Potapkin, Sean O'Connor (1991-1997), Connor Koehler and Erin O'Connor; nine great-grandchildren, Jack, Kylie, Joey, Molly, Abigail, Micah, Maka, Jack and Kira; and her best friend of 80 years, Lola Archer. The O'Connor family moved to Corona, CA in 1968, following five years in Jackson, MS for Wally's work and before that, nearly 25 years in Los Angeles. In the late 1970s, Jerry completed training to become a respiratory therapist and was highly respected for her skill with babies and children. In addition to her deep caring for others, she was also well-read, well-traveled and naturally smart, wise and pragmatic. Among other endeavors, these qualities led her to become a Eucharistic Minister at St. Matthew's Catholic Church in Corona, CA and a member of its Bereavement Ministry. Jerry was also a longtime volunteer at Corona Rehabilitation Center (hospice care), where she provided payroll and other essential accounting services. Jerry received her 20-year hospice volunteer pin before the COVID-19 pandemic. Our mom's/our Mimo's absence is felt profoundly. We have lost our precious and irreplaceable Matriarch. Now with God, she is our North Star-ever present, ever bright, ever guiding. Fun Facts about Jerry: • She received a D in physical education but also named Best Dressed her senior year at Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles. • One of her first jobs was folding fortune cookies in downtown Los Angeles. • She received her driver's license in Missouri at 14 years old and never got a ticket. • She wore her saddle shoes scuffed and became angry when her mom polished them. • Her husband, Wally, instantly fell in love with her as she stepped off a train at 18 years old. They were married three weeks later. • Loreal lipstick in #410 Volcanic Red was her superpower. • She and Mickey Mouse were both born in Missouri in 1928-a fact she loved. • Her friends were her life blood, her fountain of youth, her talk therapy. • She loved a party and never attended one she did not like. • Her grandchildren and great-grandchildren called her Mimo, a variation of Meemaw used in the Southern United States. • She was a clotheshorse and had a sense of style that was unattainable to the rest of us. • Twinkle lights and champagne (her favorite, even over expensive brands, was Cook's) were two things she believed should be enjoyed year-round. • She read cookbooks like novels, was an amazing cook and never followed recipes. • Bridge, book club, dining out, shopping and being cozy were her favorite pastimes. • She loved anything about the British Royal Family, calling herself a Royalist. Grief is the price we pay for love. -Queen Elizabeth II Jerry's grandson, Sean O'Connor, died on Friday, December 5, 1997 at the age seven from Neuroblastoma, a rare type of brain cancer that predominately affects children. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Children's Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation. Details on how to give are available at https://www.cncfhope.org/donate/. For questions, email Patricia Tallungan at [emailprotected] or call her at 866-671-2623 (w) or 630-965-6391 (c). Please join us for Jerry's memorial service on Wednesday, July 27, 2022, at St. Matthews Catholic Church, located at 2140 West Ontario Avenue, Corona, CA, 92882. The schedule includes praying the Holy Rosary from 10:30 - 11:00 am, a funeral Mass from 11:00 am - 12:00 pm and a celebration of life lunch in the parish hall, beginning at 12:00 pm. Mass St. Matthew Catholic Church 2140 W. Ontario Ave. Corona, CA 92882 951-737-1621 | Wednesday 7/27, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm Holy Rosary at 10:30 AM Reception St. Matthew Catholic Church 2140 W. Ontario Ave. Corona, CA 92882 951-737-1621 | Wednesday 7/27, 12:00 pm Celebration of Life lunch in the Parish hall