Monsignor William Oliver O'Neill

My deepest sympathy to all of the family of our beloved former pastor in Columbus, GA. and priest extraordinaire in Savannah, Ga. My dear friend Willy will be missed by so many people who adored his mischievous manner and playful insight on life. I am so very glad he was able to write his 2 books before his passing since they both include a real historical and funny depiction of his life in Ireland and America. I will miss him terribly. Rest in peace Willy.

Sincere condolences to the O'Neill family and friends. I recall his telling me when I resided in Savannah about the large number of seminarians in his class and that it had dwindled over the years to very low numbers. We owe a debt of gratitude to his heartful leadership, humor & friendship. A priestly man!

Sincere sympathy to Nuala, Artie and the extended O'Neill family on the passing of Monsignor William Oliver. May he Rest in peace.

Our Deepest Sympathy to Nuala / Artie and the extended O Neill family on the Sad passing of Monsignor William Oliver.
He all ways called to our house in Cappa.when on holidays and loved to go out the back yard and look at the rings on the shed wall where his Mam and Dad used to tie the horse and trap while going to mass his father would sneek away for a few pints an our house was a pub that time when he would return he would get a litany from his wife (not of the rosary)
Fr. Oliver loved to tell that story.

The bed of heaven to him and sure he is united with his parents and brothers

May He Rest In Peace

To Nuala Arty Tony Michael and all the O Neill family. Our deepest sympathy to you all on the passing of Monsignor Willie.Thinking of you all at this sad time may he rest in peace.

My deepest condolences on the passing of Monsignor Willie, I did not ever meet him in person but he read my books and we corresponded by email. He had a tremendous knowledge of history and I enjoyed the interaction. I always found him refreshingly honest and interesting. We had planned to meet next time he was home but it was not to be.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam,

Our deepest sympathy to the O Neill family on the sad passing of Monsignor Willie Oliver may he rest in peace our taughts and prayers are with you all at this sad time
Nellie o Neill formally of cappawhite

Very sad to hear of the death of Fr Willie. Deepest sympathy to Nuala and family, Owen Roe's family and the people of Savannah. He was a regular visitor to the family home in Rossmore on his annual trips home. We have wonderful memories of our trip to Savannah many years ago when we had the privilege of he marriying us. He was an amazing person, a real man of the people and above all a proud Irishman. Rest in Peace Willie.

We knew "Willie" many moons ago in Augusta. Now, he is at peace after a hectic life of service to people.

Deepest Sympathy to Nuala & family and Evelyn & Family on the sad passing of Monsignor Willie Oliver. May he rest in peace.

Most sincere sympathy to Nuala,Artie & Family,Owen Roe’s Family & the Bishops & Priests of Savannah on the death of Cousin Willie Oliver. R.I.P.
He was a very special friend & We know countless other people will say the same thing. How he did that We just don’t know as most of us are hard pressed to keep in touch with a handful of friends. Well he is now in peaceful repose but it is unlikely he is at rest as with his new Angelic Wings he is in his element meeting & greeting with Family & friends of olden times. We will greatly miss his daily Emails but as we frequently refer to his stories & particularly to the genealogy of the O’Neill families which was a labour of love for him how can we ever forget him.

I have known Monsgr Billy Oliver since 1956 when he commenced his secondary Education at St Peters College, Wexford. It was the summer of 2018 before we met again. I had sent him a Email to see if he would give our Historical Society a lecture on the New Ross – Savannah famine connections from the first half of the 19th century. His first comment was “You know now Peter, I don’t do lectures, I only do sermons”. Such was his sense of humour and modesty. Billy Oliver’s knowledge of Irish and American History was far reaching and one of his goals was to set down in writing his research into the Irish who travelled to Savannah from Ireland in desperate times during and after the Irish Famine. We were honoured and delighted when came the “Dunbrody” famine ship to speak to a overflowing attendance. The original “Dunbrody” Famine ship had sailed up the Savannah River on one its first voyages in 1845 loaded with Irish emigrants in search of a better life. He was particularly proud of his association to the Cathedral renovations during his time there. Ireland’s loss was the Diocese of Savannah gain, I guess his friends could be counted in their legions. Our lecture beside the “Dunbrody Famine ship “ in New Ross was a memorable one that we will all remember for many years to come. Our condolence to the O’Neill families and his friends from far and wide.

Sincere sympathy to the O'Neill family, his many relatives and his friends in Savannah GA on the death of Monsignor. I first met Monsignor in Savannah while visiting David and always enjoyed his company. He called many times to see us in Birdhill and we had a wonderful night at his 50th jubilee celebrations. May his gentle soul rest in peace.

Sincere sympathy to Nora and the extended O’Neill family on the passing of Monsignor William Oliver O’Neill. May he rest in peace.

Our deepest condolences to the O’Neill family on the passing of Billy Oliver. It was a privilege and an honour to serve Billy Oliver as Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist and Altar Server at the Cathedral-Basilica of St John the Baptist in Savannah, from 2008-2019. A particular privilege was when he requested I call him Billy Oliver because he said it reminded him of his youth and energized his spirit. When he retired and was clearing his Rector’s office, I was fortunate to accept a model of his Gulfstream GV business jet as he knew I worked at Gulfstream. That model is proudly in my work office today and shall be a treasured reminder of Billy Oliver. I will also proudly and fondly remember holding the prayer book for him at various points in the Sunday 11:0am Mass at the Cathedral-Basilica. I know he is already with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit and will all the saints so he is in Heaven. We will always cherish the stories and the memories of a wonderful man and spirit. God bless Billy Oliver.
From John Angelo, Jeanette, Alessandra, Adrian and Julian.

Sincere sympathy to Nuala and all the family of our friend Monsignor William Oliver who celebrated mass in our home on several occasions. May he rest in eternal peace.

Deepest sympathy to Nuala and the extended O Neill family on the sad passing of Monsignor Willie.
He was a great friend to our late brother, Lt Col Fr. Tim Ryan, Savannah and US Airforce for all the years they both resided in the US.
My brother John and I attended the beautiful funeral Mass yesterday in Solohead church, which was a fitting tribute to our cousin and such a wonderful priest.
May he Rest In Peace.

We are saddened at the passing of Monsignor William Olive. He is a lifelong friend and the loss is great. His visit to Birmingham and our trip to he Sri Venkateswara ( Baljai) Hindu Temple of UK was so memorable and will forever be in our memories. Our prayers are with his family during this sad time, William Oliver was so much more than a priest - he was a true server of God and the church of St John the Baptist in Savanna. It was his adopted home and family,
Leo and Shirley O’Toole- Birmingham UK

Sincere sympathy to the O Neill family on the death of Monsignor Willie Oliver. May he rest in peace.

Our very sincere condolences on the death of our dear friend Monsignor Willie Oliver who married us 33 years ago and we have enjoyed his friendship over the intervening years. May he rest in peace.

Deepest sympathy to family and friends of Monsignor Willie O. He was the warmest and most personable minister. He touched our family and countless others, showing us the work of a true follower of Christ in his daily interactions with us and everyone in the community. His love of life and of people will forever be an inspiration to us all. May he rest in eternal peace with music and a pint.

Sincere sympathy to the O'Neill family on the passing of Monsignor Willie Oliver. May he rest in peace

To Nuala, Arty, Tony, Michael & all the O’Neill family. Our sincerest sympathies on the passing of Monsignor Willie Oliver. May his gentle soul rest in peace.

Sincere sympathy to Nuala, Artie and extended family on the death of Monsignor William Oliver. May his gentle soul rest in peace.

We wish to offer our deepest condolences to the O’Neill family on the sad passing of Monsignor Willie Oliver .R.I.P Will miss his lovely Christmas card and his kind words .

My Condolences 🙏 To You Nuala and Family... Father Willie your very missed.. . Im saddened Im so thankful to have spent time with you in Savanah.. .. Ill never forget you..

Sincere sympathy to Nuala and all the O' Neill families also to his Priests Community on the sad passing of Willie Oliver .May he rest in peace. He was a great character, when he called to Framing Shop where I work ,we used to have some laugh with him ,Then his Book was some read we really enjoy it .

Dear O'Neill family,
We are saddened by the death of one of our dearest priests and friends. When Msgr. O'Neill came to Savannah and was assigned to Blessed Sacrament Parish we didn't know what to expect. He was so welcoming and friendly and we'll never forget his coming to the ER when our son, Gary, Jr., was injured. He always told us this was his first emergency call as our pastor!
Over the years he was so kind and as you know delighted all with his colorful stories. He will be greatly missed by our family and all the lives he touched.
May the angels lead him to paradise. Rest in peace, Monsignor O'Neill.

Deepest sympathy to Nuala, All the ONeill family and extended families on the passing of your dearest family member. Monsignor touched so many people across many miles. May he rest in peace.

Our deepest condolences to the entire O'Neil family. We had the great honor of meeting Willie at his church in Savannah some years ago and we were delighted to welcome him on a number of occasions to the Dunbrody Famine Ship Experience in New Ross Co Wexford, always a great conservationist and story teller he will be sadly missed by his many friends in Savannah, Co Wexford and Tipperary . Rip, Willie.

We wish to offer our condolences to the O'Neill family and friends. Willie Oliver gave our Ryder family an understanding of our O'Neill roots. We love his family stories and his own experiences (through his published books). Rip

Sincere sympathies go to Nuala, to all relatives and to colleague priests. Both of us were days late arriving at St. Peter's College in Wexford to begin Secondary School and were then allocated to the only unoccupied desk in the classroom - so small, inadequate and out of place, that it must have been sourced from a Senior Infants' Classroom somewhere For the following five years, and ever since, I only knew him as Billy Oliver - classmate, dear friend and a 'one-off'. God rest you, Billy Oliver.

Sincere sympathy to Nuala and the O Neill family on the passing of Monsignor Willie Oliver RIP

Sincere sympathy to Nuala & family and all the extended O’Neill family on the sad passing of Fr Willie Oliver.May He Rest In Peace

My heartfelt sympathy to Nuala sympathy to Nuala & O'Neill family on the death of Willie Oliver. May he rest in peace. Reading his book is bringing back lovely memories of days gone by. My thoughts and prayers are with you. Sr. Francis O'Brien

Sincere sympathy to Nuala and family at this sad time on the passing of your brother Willie our thoughts and prayers are with ye all

My deep condolences to all the family relations and friends Rip Good Servant

sincere sympathy to nuala artie o neill family extended family relatives on the passing of monsignor willie oliver the light of heaven on his soul rip.

sincere condolence to nuala artie o neill family extended family on the passing of monsignor willie may he rest in peace

We have many happy memories of Fr Willy O'Neill, meeting him here in Ireland, and in Savannah. He was always ready to cheer up the company with his humour and interesting conversation about his native country and his adopted one. He had unique insights and wonderful observations based on his Tipperary origins, and then his many years in Savannah.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

Sincere sympathy to Nuala and the O Neill family on the death of Monsignor O Neill. May he rest in peace Tom Tierney and family Dublin

My heart is broken with the loss of our beloved Monsignor O'Neill from this earthly life we all enjoyed with him. He was most inspirational to me when I converted to Catholicism several years ago, and I will always be grateful to him for that. I will miss him greatly, but I take comfort in knowing he is now healthy and happy and probably dancing a jig in his heavenly home. Rest in peace, Monsignor!!

Sincere sympathies to Nuala and family

My deepest sympathies to my lovely aunt Nuala and all the family. Thinking of you all at this sad time. Lighting a candle over here in the UK for Monsignor Willie. May he rest in peace. Xx

Sincere sympathies to Nuala and the extended O’Neill family on the death of Monsignor Willy. As he was full in life, may he rest in peace.

Sincere condolences to Nuala and all the O'Neill family on the death of our dear friend Msgr. William Oliver O'Neill. May he rest in peace. Thank you for sharing him with the Diocese of Savannah over the past 50 plus years.

I had the pleasure of helping Monsignor publish his memoirs. I will cherish every phone call we had, especially the one where I received a half hour lesson in Gaelic! Because of him, I will know which word is misspelled in the Savannah St. Patrick’s Day program! He was a proud Irishman and his passion made me proud of my Irish heritage too.

The Cathedral will be such an empty place without his vivacious personality and passion for his faith. Having moved to Savannah only a couple of years ago, I didn’t have as much time with Monsignor as I would’ve liked, but I will cherish every memory I have of Willie Oliver. I know we’ve all got one more angel watching over us from heaven.

My Deepest Sympathy to Nuala & Artie and extended O Neill family on the Sad passing of Monsignor William Oliver. May his Soul rest in peace.

Nuala, Arty & extended families, so sad to hear this news. May Monsignor O’Neill rest in peace.

Deepest sympathy on passing of billy oliver a lifelong friend & classmate in Wexford
He will be greatly missed here in Ireland & in savanna rip
Pat kinsella & family Blackrock cork

Sincere sympathy to Nuala, Artie and family also the extended O'Neill families on the death of Willie Oliver. Rip.

Sincere sympathies to Nuala, Artie and family on the passing of Monsignor Willie Oliver O’Neill. May he rest in peace.

My deepest sympathies to my wonderful aunt Nuala and the whole family. Tony and Michael always spoke about their uncle with such affection and I know he will be sorely missed. Rest in Peace Monsignor William.

My deepest condolences to the entire O'Neil family. I had the great honor of meeting Willie accidentally at his church in Savannah two years ago and was thrilled at the God shot moment to discover our connection to Foxford. I went to school with his nephew. I paid my respects to Owens grave recently and smiled when I saw the Tipp flag . Rip, Willie , you’ll be telling stories in Heaven x From sharon Ruddy ie Mayo momma x

Condolences to Nuala and family thinking of you at this sad time

Deepest sympathy to the O'Neil family on the death of Monsignor William Oliver. Always called when he was home. May he rest in peace.

Sincere condolences on the death of Monsignor Billy Oliver. He was a very proud alumnus of St. Peter’s.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis

Sincere sympathies to Nuala, Artie and family on the passing of Monsignor Willie Oliver O’Neill. May he rest in peace.

Sincere condolences to Nuala and the extended O Neill at this sad time Bridget Murray and family Clonbrick

Our Sincerest sympathies to the O’Neill family on the passing of Fr William Oliver. May he rest in peace