Father John "Jack" O'Neill

Father John “Jack” O'Neill passed peacefully to eternal rest in the loving company of family in August, 2026. Born in San Francisco to Elizabeth and John O'Neill, immigrants from County Mayo and County Cork, Ireland, Father Jack was raised in the faith that would come to define his life. He was educated at Saint Paul's Elementary School and Riordan High School before answering the call to the priesthood at Saint Patrick’s seminary. He was ordained in 1967, beginning over six decades of faithful service to the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

Father Jack began his ministry at Saint Hilary's in Tiburon and Saint Kevin's in San Francisco, where he formed friendships that lasted a lifetime. He served as a chaplain in San Quentin prison for 19 years. He later served at Saint James in Petaluma, Our Lady of Loretto in Novato, and Sacred Heart in Olema. Wherever he went, he treasured the connections he made with his parishioners, and he saw the humanity in every person he met.

He is survived by his sister, Mary Wilkinson (Ed), his niece, Annette, and nephews John (Alison), Matt (Kris), and Paul (Angelika), his grand nephews and nieces, Kaitlin (Jacob), Nicole (Tyler), Spencer, Veronika (Louis), Seán, Ellie, Celeste, and Amelie and his great grand nephews, Valor, Roman, and Rory. He was preceded in death by his parents, Elizabeth and John.

The family thanks Dr. Lee and Dr. Maria Chan at Kaiser and his memory care unit caregivers at Drake Terrace.

A funeral mass will be held at 11 am on August 18 at Saint Rita's Church in Fairfax, California.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Catholic Worker House in Redwood City or Saint Vincent De Paul in care of Saint Rita’s parish.

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