John Daniel O’Connell Iii

John Daniel O'Connell III, age 94, of Jurupa Valley, CA, passed away peacefully into eternal rest on July 30, 2022. Born on March 24, 1928, in St Paul, MN, he was the son of the late John Daniel (II) and Violet O'Connell. He was a Seaman in the US Navy during the Korean War. Worked for Toni Home Permanent Co. for a number of years and in 1959, he moved to Norwalk, CA with his then wife, Jean and their 4 children. He worked as a Maintenance Engineer at Rockwell International for 29 years until his retirement. He worked on the Space Shuttle "Columbia" which was the first of five Space Shuttles orbiter to fly in space. After his retirement, he became more heavily involved in the Catholic Church. He was a Deacon and worked very closely with Father Connelly. He inspired the local Food Bank which assisted over 200 disadvantaged families each year. For many years, John coordinated monthly ice cream socials and their annual carnival/fiestas. Later, John became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints where he was ordained a Melchizedek Priesthood holder. He volunteered his time and helped many of the church Missionaries in their efforts. John was always willing to help others in any way he could. John was also a wood working enthusiast and enjoyed making wooden toys to give the children at Christmas time. He also was known to help Santa every Christmas, visiting children, making a lot of children extremely happy with his visits. John was an Irish man through and through, he loved telling stories and had a strong memory. He always loved meeting new people. John always said, "There are no strangers in life." He was deeply loved by all who knew him. He also loved to tell jokes, stories of the good ‘ole days and loved being around his grandchildren. John was predeceased by his 1st wife, Jean of 61 years, his mother and father (John and Violet), his 3 sisters Lorraine Salava, Violet (Sis) Mudek-VanHorn, Janet O'Connell Moseng and his daughter Cheryl O'Connell. He is survived by his wife of 10 years Joanell O'Connell; his siter Mary Lou O'Connell Benson from Marion, Iowa; 4 children, daughter Linda Kurka (Ray), Daughter Cindi Schneider (John), son John Daniel IV O'Connell (Lu), daughter Terry Wik (Kurt) and his stepson Jon Ellis (Dani); his 16 grandchildren Sabrina, Kristie, Michael, Matt, Joe, Danny, Lisa, Brian, Thomas, John Daniel V, Jason, Michael, Margie, Mallory, Jeremy & Alyssa and 17 great- grandchildren, Teddi, Lauren, Jake, Matt, MickalAnn, Wyatt, Michael, Isabelle, Chris, Astor, Jimmy, Alex, Malakia, Nenah, Robert, Zoe, and Maylani. Services will be held on Saturday, August 13, 2022 at 10AM at The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter- Day Saints. 8660 44th St, Riverside, CA 92509. Service The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints 44th St 8660 44th Street Riverside, California 92509 Saturday 8/13, 10:00 am