Gerald Paul O’Connor

May 2, 1956 – June 17, 2026

Gerald Paul O’Connor was born in Heidelburg, Germany on May 2, 1956 while his father was stationed there. He grew up on Orchard Lane in Berkeley Heights, NJ, the eldest of six children born to Gerald O’Connor and Phyllis (O’Connor) Monier. The first in his family to go to college, he attended the University of Maine at Portland-Gorham and chose to live in Portland, Maine the rest of his adult life.

Jerry met his wife of 45 years, Rana, when she walked by him sitting in a pretzel shape in the hallway of her Gorham dorm. They were married in 1981 and welcomed daughter Tara in 1984, followed by Layla in 1990.

Jerry worked as the theater critic for the Maine Times and toured Maine as part of the ‘Ronald McDonald Traveling Dental Show’. He later worked at the Great Lost Bear restaurant and at Beta, a summer theater camp, before joining Integrated Services Group, specializing in custom software development. In 1983 Jerry - GP to his LL Bean colleagues - transitioned to the Information Services department at LL Bean, retiring as a senior programmer/analyst in 2022.

While his career was technically focused, Jerry was also a consummate gamer and accomplished artist. He painted thousands of intricate figurines for tabletop games ranging from Dungeons & Dragons to Warhammer, earning accolades for his finely detailed work and originality. Ever eager to share his passion, Jerry taught many young people gaming and how to paint figurines.

Jerry loved a good story. He was a voracious reader and saw more movies than seemed possible, consuming history and science fiction, biography and fairy tales with equal relish. He also loved a good meal, sometimes delightfully ordering one of everything on a menu. The banana milkshake tour of DC stands out as feeding both his love of history and his sweet tooth.

Life with Jerry was never dull. He loved hosting parties, coaching his girls in basketball and soccer, and cheering at their games. He quietly carried the burdens of daily life so Rana and the girls could be carefree. As Tara notes, there was never a scrape that her dad couldn’t get her out of. While he was a hero when disaster struck, he was also there to spread joy, giving Tara a ride on his bike’s handlebars or whisking Layla off for an impromptu trip to Disney. He was proud to dance at Layla’s wedding to the song ‘Nature Boy’.

Jerry died of end stage behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) on June 17, 2026. He was predeceased by his father Gerald O’Connor and his brother Kevin. He is survived by a large extended family including his mother Phyllis Monier, siblings Kim, Jamie, Scott, Kyle, with their spouses and children. He is remembered by Rana’s family, including her siblings Susanne and Kambiz with their families. He leaves his wife Rana; beloved daughters Tara and Layla; son-in-law Eric; and a granddaughter - Nora Gerry.