Obituary of William S. O'Neill

William "Bill" O'Neill, 52, died suddenly at his home in Washington D.C., on December 9th. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Wednesday, December 17th at 10 am at St. Simon the Apostle Church, 1010 Green Pond Rd. Rockaway Township, NJ. Interment to follow at Marcella Union Cemetery. Visiting hours will be held on Tuesday, December 16th from 4-8 pm at the Norman Dean Home For Services, 16 Righter Ave., Denville. In lieu of flowers, donations in Bill's memory may be made to Toys For Tots. To leave a message of condolence, please go to www.normandean.com A memorial service will also be held in Washington, DC on Friday, January 23 at 2pm at St. Peter's Catholic Church, 313 2nd Street SE. Bill was born in Passaic, NJ, grew up in Green Pond, NJ, and attended Morris Knolls High School. Bill was a beloved brother and a great friend, confidant, and biggest cheerleader to those fortunate enough to know him. He reveled in friends' successes, picked them up when they were down, and always - always - found ways to pour out his generosity, from gifts of books with a personal touch to opening his home (aka, The Billpen) for pre-game and post-game festivities for ballgames and concerts at nearby Nationals Park, he was there for his friends-always. He loved music (Grateful Dead, Springsteen) and was an avid reader, runner and sports fan, especially of the Yankees and the NY Giants. He had a distinguished career in Washington, DC working in the U.S. House of Representatives and leading government affairs programs for both corporations and trade associations. Although a committed Republican, Bill's social events brought people together in ways that seemed old fashioned for Washington, DC - Democrats, Republicans, reporters, press secretaries, lobbyists, activists, everyone. He is a United States Marine. Predeceased by his parents, Peter and Margot; he is survived by his five siblings, Kate Friday and her husband John of Morris Township, Rosemary Serafin and her husband Keith of Clifton, Joni Huang and her husband Ed of Toronto, Canada, Peter O'Neill of Morristown, and Patrick O'Neill and his wife Mary Kay of Mendham.