Ceremony to Honor Sergeant John W O’Neil

Appointed February 15, 1923 – End of Watch: June 7, 1944

Each Minneapolis Police recruit class chooses a fallen officer to whose service and memory they dedicate their training.

The current recruit class has chosen to honor Sergeant John W O’Neil who was killed in the line of duty on June 7, 1944.  

The recruit class selected Sergeant O’Neil because he died one day after the D-Day invasion and they thought that his sacrifice may not have been adequately recognized at the time due to the understandable focus on the D-Day invasion.

Sergeant O’Neil drowned while trying to recover a canoe after it went over St. Anthony Falls.  Two of the three men in the canoe were also killed.

Sergeant O’Neil had been with the department for 21 years.  He was survived by his wife Gladys and their three children John, Thomas and Sandra. 

Sergeant O’Neil’s funeral was held on Saturday,  June 10th, at Saint Helena’s Church at 43rd Street and 33rd Avenue South.  He was buried in Sunset Memorial Park.  He was escorted by the Minneapolis Police Honor Guard.  

A memorial fund for the family of Sergeant O’Neil was created by the Minneapolis Civic & Commerce Association.  “Sergeant O’Neil lost his life because he was serving the city beyond the requirements of duty,” the president of the association said in announcing the fund.  “Although he was entitled to retirement with a life income, he chose to remain during the manpower shortage resulting from the inroads of war.” 

This year marks the 75th Anniversary of Sergeant O’Neil’s death.

We are in the process of locating members of the extended O’Neil family to invite them to a small ceremony to be given in his honor this December.