Kenneth "Ken" Eugene O'Connor, 74, was born on May 24, 1951, to John "Happy Jack" and Betty "Jean" O'Connor. He passed peacefully in his sleep on December 30, 2025, in Memphis, Tennessee.

Ken was preceded in death by his parents; his wife and the mother of his children, Christine O'Connor; and his brother, Tim O'Connor.

He is survived by his wife, Tena O'Connor of Memphis, TN; his children, Mike Bower (Jena) of Lyons, IN, Robbie O'Connor (Amy) of Munford, TN, and Jammie O'Connor of Millington, TN; and his step-sons, Leon Jones III (Sara) of Burlington, NJ, and Michael Dominic Jones of Pennsauken, NJ. He is also survived by his brothers, Bruce O'Connor of Long Island, NY, and Kevin O'Connor (Jackie) of The Villages, FL.

Ken leaves behind eight grandchildren: Michael "Mikey" Bower (Kayla) of Bartlett, TN; Analisa Post (Niko) of Millington, TN; Manuel "Manny" Najera Jr. of Munford, TN; Autumn Nowlin of Atoka, TN; Jack O'Connor (Emily) of Covington, TN; Matthew Nowlin of Atoka, TN; Abbigail "Abby" O'Connor of Chattanooga, TN; and Thalia Najera of Munford, TN. He was also blessed with five great-grandchildren, as well as three nieces and one nephew.

Ken proudly served 38 years in the United States Navy primarily as a Law Enforcement Officer, retiring as a Chief Warrant Officer 4 in 1996. His military decorations and awards include: 2 National Defense Service Medal; 6 Navy Commedation Medal; 2 Navy Expenditionary Medal; Humanitarian Service Medal; Sea Service Deployment Ribbon; 3 Good Conduct Medals. Following his retirement, he continued his dedication to service through his active involvement with the North Shelby County Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 7175, the Fleet Reserve Association (FRA) Branch 86, and the Military Order of the Cootie (MOC) Pup Tent 26 all in Millington, TN. His leadership roles included serving as Post Commander of VFW Post 7175 from 2012 to 2014, President of the FRA from 2014 to 2019, District Commander for VFW District 10 from 2018 to 2019, Seam Squirrel of MOC 2016-2018 and Grand Commander for the Military Order of the Cootie for the State of Tennessee in 2021-2023. He also worked for several years at Ingram Micro following his Navy retirement.

Ken was deeply loved by many and was known for his generosity, kindness, and willingness to lend a helping hand. He will be deeply missed and forever cherished by all who had the honor of knowing and loving him.