Carol A. O'Neill

August 24, 1959 - March 7, 2019

Carol A. O’Neill, 59, of Kearney, died on Thursday, March 7, 2019 at her home in Kearney. Memorial Services will be 2:00 p.m., Sunday, March 24, 2019, at the First Baptist Church in Kearney with Pastor Sean Dougherty officiating. Memorials are suggested to First Baptist Church Building Fund or Kearney Tackles Cancer at Good Samaritan Hospital Foundation. There will be no visitation. Although cancer prevented Carol from donating an organ, Carol has donated her body to the Anatomical Board of Nebraska for medical education and research. Carol Ann O’Neill was born August 24, 1959 in Fort Scott, KS to Rev. John and Orpha (Brenner) Hooge. She was the fourth child—the youngest by seven years—and the only girl. The surprise baby. Carol grew up in Lincoln, NE, and Gibbon, NE, where she attended elementary and junior high school. She then moved to Sumner, NE, graduating from Sumner High School in 1977. She married PJ O’Neill—her high school sweetheart of seven years—on October 24, 1980. They lived in Hildreth, NE, and Axtell, NE, before moving to Kearney, NE in 1989. Their daughter, Brooke, was born in 1982 and son, David, in 1987. Carol attended Kearney State College in Kearney, NE, a college selection based on one predominant criterion—PJ was there. She ran on the women’s track team, affectionately known as “Charlie’s Angels,” under Coach Charlie Foster. Carol described herself as a mediocre performer on an incredibly talented and successful team. But Coach Foster, as it turns out, not only recruited high caliber athletes to his team, he also welcomed so-so performers and, like other insightful and truly successful coaches, Coach Foster knew that championship-level performances won championships, but relationships created memories. Carol chose to study nursing because she wanted “to help others” and graduated from KSC in 1982 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing. Carol worked as a Registered Nurse at Phelps Memorial Health Center in Holdrege, NE from 1982-1985, and at CHI Health Good Samaritan in Kearney, NE from 1985-2017 in the areas of Dialysis, Employee Health, Human Resources, and the Cancer Center. She retired in June, 2017. Nursing suited Carol well. She counted it an immense privilege and responsibility to care for others. Her dialysis experience was life-changing. This is where she encountered patients who counted blessings in the midst of really bad chronic disease. It was here that she first recognized the life-saving and life-restoring power of organ donation. Carol fretted most about work during her sixteen years in recruitment—painfully aware of how shortages impact patient care and stress existing staff. Along with an entourage of other people, she helped hire and welcome who-knows-how-many new employees to Good Sam. Carol spent her final 6 ½ years of employment in the Good Sam Cancer Center. It was a good fit. As Outreach Coordinator, she educated kids and adults about cancer prevention and detection and, for those already diagnosed with cancer, survivorship. She facilitated the support program “A Time to Heal,” and advocated for cancer rehab, which helps survivors attain their greatest level of physical and emotional potential. Carol’s most off-the-wall project was a breast cancer awareness program, aptly named “Take Care of the Girls,” that was published in an oncology journal and presented at a national conference. Her biggest kick came from talking with hundreds of grade school kids in many area schools about Tar Wars, a tobacco-free education program. Carol deeply appreciated the support and encouragement she received from her own department directors, co-workers, and hospital leadership at Good Sam. When confronted with disputes and controversy, she tried her best to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem. Carol served on many hospital committees over the years. When she retired, she was on the Safety Committee, the Good Sam Employee Council, and the statewide CHI Health Employee Relations Council. She received Good Samaritan’s Spirit of Caring Award twice. She was especially tickled to receive the Golden Bedpan Award in 2017 from the UNK Health Science Program in recognition for conducting presentations to health science students over many years. Carol was also appointed by the governor of Nebraska as a member of the Radon Resistant New Construction Task Force in 2017 and was a 2018 recipient of the Kearney Hub Freedom Award in the Medical/Health category. Carol’s greatest joy was her immediate and extended family, and she especially treasured her role of Nana. She could lose herself in photography, gardening, sewing and crafting, decorating, traveling, dancing (especially to live bands), and a wide variety of music. She was a life-long avid exerciser, wannabe writer, and a selectively-enthusiastic sports fan. Carol was a member of First Baptist Church, Kearney, NE, where she had served as a Diaconate Board member and currently served as an adult Sunday School teacher and member of the Building Committee. Carol loved the LORD, intently pondered all-things-spiritual, and deeply appreciated her church family, Sunday school class, women’s Bible study group, and couples’ Bible study group. She felt richly blessed by both her own Baptist heritage and PJ’s Catholic tradition. Carol was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2006 while testing to donate a kidney. The cancer returned in 2016 and again in 2017. She was sustained during joyful times and fortified during rough patches by her faith, family and broad circle of friends. Carol often said with gratitude that her cancer experience was a “we thing,” rather than a “me thing.” She believed her resilience was fueled by the LORD and others who demonstrated strength in the face of greater struggles. Survivors include her husband, PJ, of Kearney, NE; daughter Brooke and son-in-law Zac Kavan, of Bellwood, NE; son David and daughter-in-law Michaela O’Neill of Lincoln, NE; granddaughters, Brielle O’Neill, of Lincoln, NE and Laurel Kavan, of Bellwood, NE; step-grandchildren Jaxon Ondracek, and Dirkson and Eastyn Kavan, of Bellwood, NE; brothers John (Claudia) Hooge and Dave (Pat) Hooge of Lawrence, KS; brothers-in-law Tom O’Neill (former spouse Jan) of Lincoln, NE, Tim (Vickie) O’Neill of Lebanon, PA, Dan (Judy) O’Neill of North Platte, NE, Mitch O’Neill of Kearney, NE, and Bill (Jen) O’Neill of Gretna, NE; sister-in-law Colleen O’Neill of Omaha, NE; nieces Jenea (Marc) Havener of Lawrence, KS, Nicole (Scott) Beinstock of Baltimore, MD, Bridgette Vogelsong (fiancée Andy Campbell) of Camp Hill, PA, Camille O’Neill and Olivia O’Neill of Gretna, NE; nephews JD (Betsy) Hooge of Portland, OR, TJ O’Neill (friend Sarah Fitzpatrick) of Washington, DC, Joe (Elizabeth) O’Neill of Washington, DC, Sean (Kelsie) O’Neill of Lincoln, NE, Andrew O’Neill of Lincoln, NE, Patrick O’Neill of North Platte, NE, and Jack O’Neill of Gretna, NE; eight great nieces and four great nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents and oldest brother, Don Hooge.