Gene O’Neil, former President of MSS, died unexpectedly on April 7, 2020. Gene came to MSS in 1972 when MSS was known as United Cerebral Palsy of Greater St. Paul. He guided MSS as it grew from a small agency on the Eastside of St. Paul to a regional organization providing needed services for people with disabilities throughout the Twin Cities metro area. Gene retired in 2000 and spent his remaining years actively volunteering for his church and Loaves and Fishes, and spending time with his children and grandchildren. 

Gene was forever an optimist who always saw the good side of people. He loved to tell stories, especially of his days in the Navy. Gene totally enjoyed spending time with the people served in the programs and it was not unusual to find someone from the old shop program sitting in his office trading laughs. He had a strong sense of humor, and kept a book of jokes in the credenza behind his office chair. He would often try out new jokes on staff, visitors and people in the programs before using them at Board meetings or public events. He used to say, “Laughing was not mandatory”. He loved a good party, a good polka band and a hearty toast to love and good health. Gene valued loyalty, hard work, honesty and generosity and modeled those qualities in both his private and professional life. He was known as a man of strong convictions, occasionally stubborn, but who was also respectful of the opinions of others. For some reason, his favorite color seemed to be various shades of brown.

We will miss him. Though Gene has been gone from MSS for over 20 years, those who knew him can still see the legacy that he left for MSS. We can see it in the expansion of the agency from the Eastside of St. Paul to serving needs in four metro area counties. We can see it in the genuine camaraderie between people in the program and staff members, and in the on-going valuing of hard-work, honesty and respect at all levels of the agency. We can hear it in the laughter in the hallways. And when some of our long-term staff see the now multicolored logo and bright hallways of MSS, they can not help but have a chuckle envisioning what Gene would be thinking about that. Thank you, Gene, for sharing your life with us.