Delia Brigid O'Neill

Delia Brigid “Dee” O’Neill (née Swords) passed away peacefully September 22, 2026, surrounded by several close family members. She was 93.

Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Francis de Sales, 6610 Balmoral Street, Burnaby, BC, at 10:30 am on Friday, October 16, 2026.

Dee was born in Dublin, Ireland, to Stephen Swords and Delia Swords (Fergus). She was second eldest of five children. Her siblings Harry, Maria, Nora, and Angela. Although the family experienced significant loss during her childhood, they made gratitude and love part of daily life. Dee often recalled her father bringing “tea in bed” to all his girls each morning. He loved repairing and selling pianos, so their home was always filled with music. Because Dee’s mother loved to move, the family relocated often. Perhaps this is why Dee never became attached to houses: home was not a building, but wherever her loved ones were. An avid reader, Dee devoured everything from adventure and history to science fiction. She also loved fashion—especially shoes. Her family often joked about her devotion to shoes, a gene she has passed down to some of her daughters, granddaughters, and great-granddaughters. Ahead of her time, Dee started a shoe-buying club in the early 1950s with one of Dublin’s finest shoe stores. She negotiated discounts for members and earned free shoes after the club reached a set number of purchases.

Dee’s gift for friendship brought many wonderful people into her life, including some that lasted from childhood into her final years. Two especially dear friends from her teens were sisters Bernie and Angie, the younger sisters of John O’Neill, and the rest was history. As Dee and John planned their future, they shared many adventures, cycling through the city and countryside. Dee always kept a dress and a beautiful pair of shoes ready for the many dances they attended. They worked together in a small store and saved for their move to Canada. They married on the morning of January 16, 1954, and left for Canada soon afterward. After sailing into New York on an ocean liner, they honeymooned at Niagara Falls. They had been married for 45 years when John passed away on February 14, 1999.

John’s work in the mining industry took the family across Canada, with homes in Ontario, Quebec, Newfoundland, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia. Because his schedule was unpredictable, Dee returned to her parents in Dublin for the birth of their first child. Their second was born in Saskatchewan. After Dee’s parents moved to England, she travelled to Manchester with the two young children, where their third baby was born. The remaining four of their seven children were also born in Saskatchewan.

Gunnar, a small mining town in northern Saskatchewan, held a special place in the O’Neill family’s hearts. Three of their children were born there, and its close-knit community became family. They embraced small-town life with dinners, dances, baby showers, curling, bridge games, harmless pranks, and unforgettable contests for the best homemade Halloween costumes. For a time, Dee even hosted a radio show, sharing her love of music. She also started an investment club that pooled their funds to buy penny stocks. Now a ghost town, Gunnar was vibrant in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Though scattered around the world, several Gunnar families have remained deeply connected to the O’Neills—naming children after one another, travelling great distances to reunite, and sharing weddings, births, anniversaries, and losses through lifelong friendship. She often remarked that the Gunnar years were some of her best.

After leaving Gunnar in 1963, the family made two more moves in Saskatchewan, where the sixth and seventh children were born. Dee’s days were full with seven children, a plentiful vegetable garden, homemade bread, and regular bridge games. Dee loved to cook and taught some of her special skills and recipes to her family. John’s work eventually prompted one final move, this time to Burnaby, British Columbia. Strong and capable, Dee cherished her active life until arthritis gradually limited it. It was at this time that she started up her painting hobby.

Dee was deeply involved in each of her parish communities, including St. Francis de Sales, where she chaired the Parish Education Committee and was an active member of the CWL. When she felt her youngest was old enough, she returned to the work force managing the charity thrift shop operated by the Junior League of Vancouver.

Dee didn’t like to fly, and she didn’t drive much, but she enjoyed going on trips. She and John took several bus tours and tried RV travel also. She enjoyed ocean cruises, but road trips were her favourite. Her trips to Las Vegas, San Diego, Los Angeles, the Oregon Coast, and Seattle were too many to count. No one can say exactly when she developed her fondness for red wine, but it also inspired many trips to Okanagan wine country.

Dee lived a long, full life, and her family was her greatest joy and pride. With no extended family in Canada, she and John decided to build a large family of their own. They were blessed with seven children, sixteen grandchildren, and fifteen great-grandchildren.

Dee’s family: Stephen (Michelle), children Sean, Erin, Brian, Maryna, and Caity; Donna (Peter) children Rob, Alex, and Jennifer; John (Shari) children Jeff, Colin, Cassidy, and Connor; Blair (Nancy) child Laura; Kevin (Coralee) child Amylee; Jocelyn (Shaun) children Mitchell and David; and Angela (Bud). With the attitude that her growing family could never be too big - she also embraced every in-law that joined the clan.

Dee will also be missed by her many nieces and nephews overseas, her sister Angela (Pete) in England, and her sister-in-law Bernie (Tommy) in Ireland.

In lieu of flowers Dee’s family would appreciate donations to The Greater Vancouver Food Bank https://foodbank.bc.ca/