Obituary of Michael O’Connor, 67
– Michael “Mike” James O’Connor passed away on April 23, 2026. He was born in San Luis Obispo, CA, on Sept. 15, 1958. He spent his childhood in Morro Bay, CA, where he formed lifelong friendships.
After graduating from Cuesta College, Mike moved to San Ardo, CA, where he lived with his grandparents on their cattle ranch. His appreciation for ranching grew from his time spent working with Gramp, learning the ins and outs of running a cow-calf operation. Early in his career Mike worked at the Grigory Ranch. His time spent cowboying, operating the motor grader or bulldozer and hunting across that ranch continued to be some of his favorite memories throughout his life. Mike then began working for San Bernardo Rancho, where he worked as the foreman for over a dozen years until he retired. After he “retired” Mike dedicated his time to his own operation. He took great pride in being a responsible cattleman and thoughtful steward of his land.
Throughout the majority of his life Mike seemed to always be in motion. He had great times playing doubles volleyball, running, biking, joining rec volleyball and softball leagues and hiking. It could be fair to say that unless it was raining and he was able to sit by a fire in the shop watching the grass grow, he did not like to be off his feet. One of Mike’s favorite places was the Grand Canyon, having visited on he and Kathleen’s honeymoon, countless anniversaries and trips with the kids. Some of the family’s most frequently repeated stories take place in or around the canyon. Would Kathleen have preferred to have spent a major anniversary anywhere else every once in a while? Of course. I mean, how many times can you look at the same big ditch? But Mike was a creature of habit and was happy there, so back and back they went. Mike loved being a father and more recently a grandfather. He and our mom worked tirelessly to provide us with countless opportunities and a childhood overwhelmingly filled with joy and laughter. We are beyond fortunate for all the time we got to spend with him. Mike is preceded in death by his parents Jerry and Carol O’Connor and his sister Kathy O’Connor. He is survived by his wife of 33 years Kathleen; son Sean, 29, and daughter-in-law Cammie; daughter Sara, 25 and one beloved grandson Cal, 21 months. He is also survived by his two sisters Theresa O’Connor and Yvonne Nored.
In lieu of flowers, donations to the American Kidney Fund or the Grand Canyon Conservancy are appreciated. A celebration of life will be held May 24 at the Loading Chute Event Barn in Creston, CA. Please join us anytime between 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM to remember Mike.
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