NORTH BRUNSWICK — Wilbur “Whip” O’Connell was posthumously selected as the most recent veteran to be recognized in the Veteran Street Sign Program in North Brunswick.
O’Connell was born July 17, 1922, in Fresh Ponds. The farmhouse where he was born still stands on Church Lane, according to a proclamation offered by the Township Council on June 27.
He was the youngest of six children. The family later moved to Milltown Road during the early 1930s. This is where he met his future wife, Phyllis Brogley.
O’Connell enlisted in the U.S. Navy as a Seaman First Class in 1942 and remained in the service until his honorable discharge in 1946. He served in both the Atlantic and Pacific Theaters, finding himself stationed in such places as Murmansk, Marseilles, Caracas, Hawaii and the Philippines, according to the proclamation.
O’Connell served on three ships that were blown up. He was listed as MIA (missing in action) in 1944. Because his mother was ill, Phyllis was listed as an emergency contact. On the day Phyllis was going to tell his mother Wilbur was missing, she saw someone in the distance calling her name. It was Wilbur and Mrs. O’Connell never knew he was missing, officials said.
O’Connell married Phyllis on April 20, 1946, and together they had one daughter, Deborah. She is married to Joe Suchocki, and they still reside in North Brunswick and have two daughters — Wilbur’s granddaughters — Meghan and Kathryn.
O’Connell worked for Permacel Tape and retired in 1987. He joined North Brunswick Volunteer Fire Co. No. 1 and remained a member until his death on Jan. 18, 1989. The flagpole and the restored fire engine were dedicated to him for his lifelong service, according to the proclamation. He was also a member of the Exempt Fireman’s Association and the Milltown Masonic Lodge, as well as American Legion Post 459 and BPOE Elks No. 324.
The street sign at Mohawk Road and Seneca Road will now bear an honorary sign in O’Connell’s memory.
For more information or to nominate a veteran for the street-naming project, call 732-247-0922, ext. 475.
