Yvonne Carole O'Connor

Yvonne Carole O'Connor

An angel in life, Yvonne Carole O'Connor, 84, of Prescott, Arizona, returned home to Heaven on Friday, September 18, 2026. At the moment of her passing, her devoted husband of almost 60 years, Kenneth DeWayne O'Connor, was right by her side.

An immensely kind and compassionate soul, Yvonne was born on October 3, 1941, in Highmore, South Dakota, the third of seven children brought into the world by Elsie Laura and Reginald Leonard Baloun. Yvonne is survived by her older brother, Eugene, and younger brothers, Terry and Brad. She was preceded in death by her older sister, Darleen, younger sister, Gloria, and youngest brother, Daryl.

Yvonne graduated from high school in Faulkton, South Dakota, in 1959. She then studied in Huron, South Dakota, to become a registered nurse. She cared for patients as an RN at both the Lutheran Health Services Hospital and the Hot Springs VA Medical Center in Hot Springs, South Dakota. At the VA, she earned Head Nurse and Nurse of the Year honors.

On November 26, 1966, Yvonne married Ken in Seneca, South Dakota. Yvonne is also survived by her forever grateful children, Melannie, Shawn, Heather, and April; her grandson, Grayson; her three sons-in-law, Kevin, Daniel, and Brandon; and her many nieces and nephews.

For well more than a decade, the family lived in Coronado, California, where Yvonne raised her children with love and courage as a military spouse, supporting Ken's long career in the U.S. Navy. After Ken's military retirement, the family moved to Spearfish, South Dakota, and later to Prescott, where Yvonne and Ken resided together for 40 years.

Wherever she lived, Yvonne turned a house into a home. Generous and genuine, she quickly made friends with her radiant smile and easy laugh. Yvonne loved fun and family, and the joy of cooking delicious meals for loved ones, neighbors, and Holiday "orphans," grateful for the warmth of Seasonal cheer. She was an amazing softball player, on the field in a coed, fast-pitch league, well into her 50s. Her green thumb was legend. She was a masterful card player, a beautiful dancer, and a passionate country music fan. After her cherished children were grown and gone, Yvonne again answered her lifelong calling to care, by working as a home health aide for the elderly, at the Caring Presence in Prescott.

A Visitation and Viewing will begin at 4 p.m. on Monday, October 5, at Ruffner-Wakelin Funeral Home in Prescott. A Rosary will follow at 5 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will commence at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, October 6, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Prescott. Interment will occur at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, October 7, at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona in Phoenix. Donations may be made in Yvonne's name to the Arizona Nurse Honor Guard. <https://arizonanursehonorguard.org/donate>

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