Martin Bradley O’Connor

Martin Bradley O’Connor, 70, husband of Sharon O’Connor, died Monday, February 12, 2024 after bravely fighting ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease). He passed at home, surrounded by his loving wife Sharon, children, Jonathan and Josh, Josh’s wife Brittani, David and Kim Bullard and Karlene Hylton.

Born in Augusta, GA, he was the son of the late James and Frances Thompson O’Connor. From his earliest days, Martin was most at home being outside. He would spend countless hours in the woods with friends, swinging from the tops of cypress trees, fishing for whatever they could catch and annihilating Eastern grey squirrels (his life-long archnemesis) as a crack-shot with his .22 rifle. In one near-mythical incident, Martin killed a squirrel in Central Park with a mere rock.

He attended Augusta College on full scholarship, where he returned to pursue his MBA, also on full scholarship, after a brief stint with Babcock & Wilcock. In the mid-80’s Martin moved his family to Greenville, SC to work for Michelin Tire Corporation. Over the next 30 plus years, he held leadership roles across multiple companies within the Upstate’s world-class automotive supplier community. He was the recipient of the Governor’s award as a South Carolina Ambassador for Economic Development.

Martin never officially “retired” and had no plans to do so. In the later years of his career, he put his years of experience to work consulting and coaching start-ups and small businesses across the Upstate to help them grow. He loved his clients and the ability to help others.

In 2017, he joined the board of the Charter Institute at Erskine to promote access to charter schools across the state and in support of his life-long commitment to improving public education.

Martin’s true legacy lies in the depths of his unwavering faith, his boundless love for his family, and the countless friendships he nurtured along the way. A devoted follower of Jesus, Martin’s faith was the guiding force behind every endeavor, infusing his life with purpose, grace, and compassion.

Martin was a member of Greenville First Assembly for 37 years; many of those spent serving as Sunday School teacher, small group leader, board member, and more than a decade as the church treasurer. A favorite of preachers, you could always count on numerous “Amens!” from him during a sermon and his hands lifted high during worship. There was no part of church life in which he didn’t participate – from playing the part of Jesus during the passion plays of the 90’s to dinners with seniors (long before he was one himself) to simply helping people park their cars. He was a true pillar of the church.

He was known by many as Papa, GPapa, Marty, Martin, and Dad. As a loving husband, caring father, faithful friend, and devoted grandfather, you could usually find him on the golf course, in the deer stand, throwing something on the grill, in the floor playing with grandkids, or watching a game while yelling, “Go Dawgs!” He leaves a legacy of love, laughter, consistent strength, and beautiful memories that will be in our hearts forever.

In addition to his loving wife of 45 years, he is survived by two sons, Jonathan O’Connor (Alison) and Joshua O’Connor (Brittani); two daughters, Heather Yankie (Lee) and Selina Gibson (Derrick); 12 grandchildren, Jack, Della Mae, Cohen, Jensen, Dawsen, Madeline, Annabella, Carrier, Hendrix, Sierra, Alana, and Valarie; sister, Sharon Sipe, and half-brother Pete Schroeder.

As well as his parents, he was preceded in death by a brother, Jim O’Connor.

A visitation will be held Saturday, February 17, 2024 from 9:00 a.m. until 10:15 a.m. at Greenville First Assembly followed by the Funeral Service at 10:30 a.m. Burial will be in Graceland East Memorial Park.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Greenville First Assembly and Harvest Edge Children’s Home.

Friends are encouraged to share their favorite memories of Martin with the family by clicking on the button labeled “Leave A Message, Share A Memory” below.