Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-03-23
DEATH OF CHARLES o'coNNoR
The We'll Known Contractor Died at
 His Home Yesterday Morning.

His Home Yesterday Morning.
 Charles o'Connor, the well known contractor, died shortly after 9 o'clock yesterday morning at his residence. 160 South Elm street, from the effects of a stroke of paralysis and congestion Of the lungs. MT OsConnor was taken III between and 2 o'clock Saturday af- ternoon, and although medical aid was promptly called, still 1t proved of no avail. He was conscious up to a short time before he died and could speak, but owing to the condition of his lungs articulation was somewhat difficult, but not sufficient to prevent him from talking with the priest who gave him the last rites of the church.
 MT O'Connor was born in Ireland 55 years ago, but emigrated to the United States when he was a boy and settled in Providence, where he learned the carpentry trade, a business which he followed with considerable success up to the time of his death. He traveled some through the western states and could tell interesting "reminiscences of his experiences as a builder and con- tractor in those days. He came to Wa terbury twenty-five or thirty years ago and some years later the family re- moved here and have lived here ever since. MT O'C6nnoTs ability as a con- tractor was quickly recognized in Wa terbury and for the first fifteen or twenty years after locating here he had more work than he could reach, and probably no local contractor built more houses during that period than ne did. He was honest and many em- ployed him to cohstruct and repair houses without any plans or estimates of expense and always with very sat isfactory results. Among the build fnrs which he erected might be men, toned St Mary's parochial school. St Mary's convent. the convent of Notre Dame, St Patrick's hall building, the Waterbury almshouse. St Thomas's church and the Waterbury High school.
 Tn 1870 MT O'Connor married Joanna Reilly, who, with one son. Charles, a druggist in the Waterbury drug store and three daughters, Mary Agnes, a teacher in the training school, Alice, q teacher in the Washington street school, and Margaret, a pupil in the Waterbury High school, survive him. He aiso leaves four brothers and two sisters, Rev M. J. O'Connor. pastor at West Thompson. Daniel Q'Connor, a contractor and builder at A1iquippa, Pa: Timothy, Thomas, and the Misses Mary and Ellen O'Connor of North Manchester. He was member of Sheridan council, K. of O., and of the Eoresters.
 The funeral will be held tomorrow morning at S:30 o'clock, with a solemn requiem mass at the Immaculate Con- ception church
 Few men had wider acquaintance in Waterbury and all over the stare than Mir O'Connor enjoyed Indeed as he used to say himself. it would be hard for him to droni into any town in Connecticut and leave 1t without meet ing familiar faces. Although keeping sharp lookout for business affairs. Mir O'Connor rarely lost an opportuni- fy to recognize his friends, and being q man of cheerful disposition, ready wit and wide Knowledge, he was in varfably welcome caller wherever he went. He always looked at the bright side of life, and for this reason nobody ever saw him out of sorts. Not long ago he told representative of this paper that the world never went against him. He wouldn't allow 1t to, he said, because he was ever ready to 20 with it if he could do no better. Tn 1897 he made an extended tour through Ireland.
 At the time of his death Mr O'Con- nor had the contract for the Hologan block on South Main street, and was figuring on other big jobs, including a church in Greenwich