John Jay O'Neill

John Jay O'Neill was born September 17, 1957 in Detroit, Michigan. He was the 5th child to Mary and Ed O'Neill. He was a wonderful brother who was loved greatly by his 6 siblings – Ed, Cathy, Kai, Meg, Erin and Carrie. He attended Michigan State University, graduating in 1980. This is where he first met Candy, his wife of 25 years. Jay and Candy eventually met again in Colorado. Jay and Candy married on July 2, 1983 and proceeded to have 2 boys; John Cale, who died in infancy and Cody Michael, who is a wonderful and talented young man of 22. Jay worked at Lockheed Martin and ULA for 27 years and was a loyal employee. He was respected by all of his colleagues. During his time there, he received numerous awards for his hard work and exceptional service. Jay loved all sports. He enjoyed spending his free time coaching his son Cody and did so until he went to high school. In 2003, Jay was elected as president of the Chatfield Senior High School Diamond Club. During his term, he was most proud of organizing the first annual For Love Of The Game: Silent Auction and Spaghetti Dinner to raise money for scholarships through the club. Later in life, Jay and Candy found a new passion for gardening. Together, they took on various projects and always maintained a beautiful home and yard that has received many compliments from family and friends. Jay was a wonderful husband, father, son, brother, and friend. He was a man of high morals and character. He helped people realize the best in themselves and always put others before himself. He provided immensely for his family, as this was very important to him. Jay was deeply loved and will be missed greatly.