For those of you that don’t know me my name is Brian O’Neill and I am Gerry’s oldest son. On behalf of the entire O’Neill family I want to thank each and every one for coming here today to help us celebrate my Dad’s life. I also want to invite all of you to a reception after Mass at the Charles River Country Club in Newton, where they pour the best pint of Guiness around.

Today I want to give you a little background on my Dad’s life, talk about my Dad the Father, and lastly, my Dad the Husband.

My dad grew up in Stoughton with his loving sister Maureen. His Dad was a postal inspector and his Mom was a nurse - and they were both wonderful hu- man beings. After graduating Stoughton High he went to Stonehill College, where as far as i can tell the only redeeming thing he did, was date my Mom. Soon after he starting working as a copy boy at the Boston Globe, occasionally drove a taxi-cab, got married, had two kids all while going BU Journalism school. He grinded his way up from covering small local stories to City Hall and State House, until eventually landing on the original Spotlight team. That is where he truly flourished - asking tough questions, building the case, and then writing the stories in a way that literally shocked you. He won a Pulitzer prize in 1972 at the age of 30 and took off from there. My Dad and his team became the police for political and municipal corruption that had ruled this city for decades. He was a fearless writer who was willing to take on the city’s most powerful and connected characters. That culminated in exposing the FBI for protecting Whitey Bolger. NOBODY had the guts to take THAT one on expect my Dad and his team. He went on to write several books that most of you are familiar with. I could go on but i will just leave it with a line he used to say “Not too bad for a kid from Stoughton with a typewriter.”

Now aside from all the accolades he has received over the years, most that know him well would say the biggest accomplishment of his career is the legacy he left behind. He was a life mentor to two generations of Globe reporters - there are too many to name but most of them are here today. I can’t tell you how many people yesterday at the wake told me that they all owe a big part of their careers to the guidance, support, and wisdom my dad shared with them over the decades. Some of them i am sure would say they were initially intimidated by him - he could have that affect - but once you got past that tough exterior he was a man who cared deeply about the success of others and was wildly loyal to those who confided in him. Next I want to speak to my Dad the Father. Now this may come as a shock to some of you but my Dad was Irish. The Irish tend to grunt their way through mat- ters of the heart and he was no exception to that. They also tend to have an incredible dry wit and sense of humor and he certainly had that. The Irish aren’t typically drawn to the fancier things in life and my dad never really cared about what he drove or what he wore - he liked the simple things in life - a good drink, a well written book, a compelling movie, a thrilling Red Sox or Celtics game, but above all he just relished spending quality time with his family.

Now from a discipline standpoint, he was the definition of speak softly and carry a big stick. So, when it came to raising two boys like Shane and I, he took the “i am only getting involved if it is a felony” approach. But when he got involved you certainly listened. It was really hard as a teenager to pull a fast one over on the head of the Spotlight team, since essentially people lied to him all day long. I think we can all agree he was guarded because of his line of work and his DNA, but if you were his friend or part of his family there isn’t anything in the world he wouldn’t do for you - and lucky for Shane and I… we were both. Every one of you in this church were part of that group as well. He was the World’s Problem Solver - when folks were in a jam or a tough spot they came to my Dad. Now that said, if he didn’t trust you or you crossed him, best of luck to you.

He taught me incredible life lessons about humility, loyalty, and integrity that deeply shaped the man I am today. He shunned the limelight and was uncom- fortable with praise or attention. He was loyal to his convictions and beliefs even in the face of doubters. He was a man of principle. He saw a lot of people make poor decisions during his investigations, so he was diligent about making sure I saw those pitfalls and did my best to avoid them. Truth be told, I fell in them sev- eral times, especially in my younger days, but he would always be there to pull me out and be that guiding voice for me to learn from my mistakes.

I still have a letter he wrote me 29 years ago that will give you some insight into that guiding voice:

LETTER I think I ignored his advise and spent all that money on that money for Spring Break, but like i said those were my younger days.

My dad was an incredibly brilliant writer and could take super complex issues and make them seem so simple. However, this didn’t quite translate into every day life - this is a man that couldn’t figure out how to use a microwave, never had or understood how to use a cell phone or the internet, could barely turn on an oven, dishwasher or washing machine, and his favorite past time the last few years has been swearing at the TV controller and/or Alexa or Alexis as he liked to call it. His battles with technology were the things of legend - when he was writ- ing Black Mass he would mistakenly delete entire chapters at a clip on the com- puter. I remember the lake we were on when that happened and I know the people on the other side of the lake heard some choice words they have never heard before.

Now after raising two somewhat reckless sons, my Dad finally got the doting daughter he never had in my incredible wife Patty. He simply adored her and their relationship is one that brought incredible joy to our family time and time again. And every Sunday my family would visit my parents for what my Mom re- ferred to as Sundee Suppah - and as time wore on and he really started to slow down, these Sunday visits with his wonderful grandchildren Kylie and Jack be- came one of the few bright lights he cherished to the very end.

Lastly, I want to speak to my Dad the Husband - this one could be tough so bear with me. Of all the accomplishments in his life marrying my mom stands head and shoulders above them all. They love each other deeply, they understand and accept each other profoundly, they take care of and protect each other. and that has been such an incredible example for Patty and I to look up to. My Dad worshiped my mom and was always telling everyone how amazing she is. I vis- ited my Dad in the hospital last Tuesday after a bad fall he took - he was in tough shape with tubes all over him and was quite disoriented, but all he could think about was my Mom. So, we sat there and for 10 straight minutes he asked me the same two questions over and over: How is your amazing mother doing? and when is she coming to see me? True love is when you put someone else’s happiness ahead of your own. My Mom and Dad did that every day of their 51 years of marriage.

I spoke with my Dad on the phone the night before he passed. He was watching Saving Private Ryan and we joked that he would have to up his valium intake af- ter watching that movie. He knew he was dying at this point, and so his last words to me were “you are a good son…he paused ….actually thats wrong…… you are a great son.” Those were his last words to me. Dad, you were a good Dad, no thats wrong you were the GREATEST person, father, and hus- band. I love you.