Mark O’Neil
In Honor and Memory of Mark O’Neil
“If I can help somebody, I’m gonna do it!”
Mark O’Neil saw himself as a protector. He spent much of his life in service–first at the US Customs Dept, then at Port Authority Police. At the Port Authority he enrolled in law school to focus on Labor Relations. Additionally, he was a Police Canine Officer, a respected Police sergeant, and devoted himself to union organizing. He had a reputation for preventing trouble from happening–and when it did, he was the one getting people out of it.
At home and at all hours, Mark was the one who would pick up the phone in emergencies. “When people in our lives would go out of town or take a trip, they would tell their friends/family at home, ‘If anything happens to us, call Mark O’Neill.’” Recalls his wife, Susan.
His wife, Amy Lineaweaver recollects, “He was motivated by justice. At his core, he felt his diagnosis was unjust. But he didn’t want others to suffer the same. He felt so thwarted–enraged by the injustice of not having your body work the same way as others.”
Mark also had a wicked sense of humor. Even with the advent of caller ID, no one was spared– his ingenuity to prank call family, friends, the police desk, and neighbors was unmatched.
At the hospital, he would volunteer for any and all clinical studies—because, as Susan shares, “If I can help somebody, I’m gonna do it!”
“You never know how MS will ultimately affect someone,” says Susan. Mark believed that his mild case would make him a good candidate for study one day. “I want to be able to help people. Even if it’s just one person, I want to be able to do that with my brain,” She remembers him saying.
Mark was also famous for his naps on the beach. He loved traveling and diving at Grand Cayman. And he wondered over the natural features of this country, choosing to travel within the US to take it all in. He loved the mountains and the animals in the national parks, and would marvel at how large the US is and how much there is to see.
A news junky, “He knew everything, and was very involved in politics. He loved non-fiction books, he loved to read about the Supreme Court,” says Susan. He read the paper every day, and even after he retired he would go to the union office, have lunch, and talk politics.
Mark felt an obligation to understand current events, employing his detailed-oriented mind, trained in the technicalities of law enforcement, to use the information he gleaned to help others. He believed in the constitution, the manual for the right way to do things. Susan remembers, “It would make him crazy when people didn’t follow the constitution.” She believes that it was his compassion that drove him to understand politics, to crack the code and defend people who couldn’t defend themselves. “Women and children were a priority. He didn’t like people taking advantage of their power.”
“He was a good man,” reflects Susan. His generosity extended to his commitment to participate in the National MS Brain Bank.
