She married John Francis O’Neill on October 8, 1960, in New York and started a family with a son. The small family moved to New Jersey and expanded their family to four children. In May 1980, the family moved here to Bowie, MD where she would continue to raise the family, make homemade spaghetti sauce every Monday night for dinner at 6:00 or 6:15 and work for 18 years at K-Mart, frequently being named Employee of the Month. Over the years, she prodded her children to leave the nest when it was time.
Agnes enjoyed outdoor activities such as hiking, gardening, especially tomatoes, and planting geranium flowers. Over their 51 years of married life, there were family camping and hiking trips to High Point State Park, NJ; Niagara Falls, Deep Creek Lake, and Ocean City, MD. Camping South to Kitty Hawk, NC and West across the country to the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon was their favorite destination and they visited several more times. On one of those trips, Agnes and John hiked the Bright Angel Trail to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, stayed overnight at the Phantom Ranch and hiked all the way back up.
Vacations were not always camping in tents with kids. Agnes and John visited San Francisco and a once in a lifetime trip to Ireland to see the country their parents emigrated from. Agnes and John also took up boating, both motorboat and sailing and enjoyed being on the water.
In her younger days, Agnes was an avid volleyball player, playing for over 20 years in a local rec club. She made sure to catch episodes of General Hospital daily and enjoyed the banana bread homemade by her granddaughter Josephine. Agnes believed in helping those less fortunate and cooked for SOME and supported numerous charities. She was a die-hard New York Giants fan and a fan of the local teams, attending games for the Washington Nationals, Washington Wizards and Washington Capitals.
She lovingly took care of her husband during his 5-year battle with ALS. Agnes is survived by her sister Catherine McGloin, her loving children John, Paul, Agnes Hammel (Jonathan) and Catherine Dittman (Jeffrey); Grandchildren Brigid Hammel, Josephine Dittman and Michael Dittman and numerous nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to the American Diabetes Association or The ALS Association.
A visitation for Agnes will be held Tuesday, February 7, 2023 from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM at Robert E. Evans Funeral Home, 16000 Annapolis Road, Bowie, MD 20715.
A mass of Christian burial will occur Wednesday, February 8, 2023, from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM at Sacred Heart Catholic Church Chapel, 16501 Annapolis Road, Bowie, MD 20715.
A graveside service will follow the Mass in the Sacred Heart Catholic Church Cemetery, 16501 Annapolis Road, Bowie, MD 20715.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.robertevansfuneralhome.com for the O'Neill family.
DONATIONS
American Diabetes AssociationP.O. Box 7023, Merrifield, Virginia 22116-7023
ALS Association1300 Wilson Blvd Suite 600, Arlington, Virginia 22209
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