Obituary: Jerome Frederick O’Neill, 1946-2023 

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• Courtesy
• Jerome O'Neill

Jerry O’Neill passed peacefully on December 3, 2023, after a long illness. He was born and died on the hills overlooking Lake Champlain and lived most of his life near the lake’s shores. But Jerry’s world was anything but small. He was a world traveler whose long life was rich with beloved family, friends and colleagues; a successful career; and a love of food, travel, photography and wine.

Born in Burlington, Vt., to Phyllis (Chagnon) and Frederick O’Neill, Jerry spent his childhood in Swanton hunting, fishing and playing basketball on the St. Anne’s Academy high school team. He attended Georgetown University and Georgetown Law School, where he was an editor of the Law Journal. Jerry served as an active-duty U.S. Army officer, attaining the rank of captain, and in the Vermont National Guard for more than 20 years. In 1972, while in the military, Jerry was stuck on a plane circling through the snow above Burlington, trying to get home from Fort Knox, while his daughter Kate was born.

In his early career, Jerry clerked for two federal judges before joining the Rutland U.S. Attorney’s Office in 1973. His daughter Maura was born in Rutland on a hot summer day in 1974. A year later, he was appointed first assistant U.S. attorney under his friend Bill Gray and eventually became U.S. attorney for Vermont. Since 1981, Jerry has been in private practice in Burlington. He was the senior partner at O’Neill Crawford & Green (later O’Neill Kellner & Green) for 27 years, before joining the law firm Gravel & Shea, where he worked until his passing.

Among his many professional accomplishments, Jerry was most proud to help victims of childhood sexual abuse. He was one of the first lawyers in the country to hold the Catholic diocese accountable for crimes perpetrated against children, and his cases often garnered national media attention. Jerry remained humbly focused on justice for his clients, stayed close with many of them, and was honored to be a part of their recovery and lives.

Whether it was weekly lunches with his best friend, Geoff Crawford; dinners with “the Lovely O’Neill Sisters,” as he referred to his daughters; or Zoom calls with his siblings, he nurtured and cherished his relationships and was a devoted and generous friend, father, sibling and partner.

Jerry didn’t meet his soulmate until he was in his late fifties, but Giuliana was his “wife for life,” and they made the most of their two decades together. Giules brought out a gentle and playful side of Jerry that delighted the rest of the family, and she took exquisite care of him after he was diagnosed with cancer in 2021.

Jerry was an active member of myriad communities. Through the legal societies to which he belonged, he taught hundreds of classes, workshops and courses across the country. He was on the Burlington Police Commission for two decades, ultimately as the commissioner; a board member of COTS (the Committee on Temporary Shelter); and a frequent volunteer and event attendee.

As you may be realizing, Jerry had a seemingly endless amount of energy and many passions. When not working, he was often traveling the world taking beautiful photographs. Through Giules, he became an avid equestrian and found great joy in galloping cross-country on his horse. He loved to cook and recently sent a copy of his favorite Melissa Clark cookbook to at least a dozen people.

His family and friends were often entertained by his joyful laugh, clever sense of humor and stories. He was also known for his multiple pairs of clicky reading glasses and his love of good wine. If there is an afterlife, Jerry is at dinner, clicking together a pair of glasses as he peers over the wine list, asking to speak with the person (“It could be you!”) who knows the most about it.

Jerry lived a full life and died in Giuliana’s arms, which was exactly what he wanted. He is survived by his wife, Giuliana Robertson; his daughters, Kate O’Neill and Maura O’Neill; and Maura’s husband and son, Tim Painting and Aidan O’Neill. He is also survived by his siblings, Anne O’Neill, Peter O’Neill and his wife, Renee, Julie Campbell and her husband and son, Travis and Tyler; his nephew, Sean O’Neill, and his wife, Marcy; and the mother of his children, Maureen Linsenmeir, with whom he remained close friends. He was predeceased by his parents and his brother-in-law Crawford Byers.

A celebration of Jerry’s life will be held on Saturday, January 13, 2024, 2 p.m., at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Burlington. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his name to SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) or COTS (Committee on Temporary Shelter)