We here at GO INSIDE Magazine are sad to announce the passing of Skippy O’Connell yesterday in California.  Skippy was our unofficial mascot for the magazine.  He kept us smiling on every holiday and his energy was beloved.

Here is the announcement of Skippy’s death:

October 21 1997 – July 17 2011

FAREWELL SKIPPY

Skippy died this morning, July 17 from cardiac arrest. He was fighting his third bout with cancer and the little guy just didn’t have the reserves to pull through this time.

A well travelled dog, he flew coast to coast more than a dozen times and visited many fine hotels throughout the Western United States by car. He loved Central Park in NYC (especially the snow) and the beach in Santa Monica, not to mention the hot sun in Palm Springs.

He was also known for his love of holidays, any holidays… and posed for photos whenever the calendar marked a festivity. Marianne and I captured more than 26,000 frames of him celebrating life (maybe a few more than necessary), and he was a trouper on every photo shoot.

He was a trained therapy dog who did the rounds for more than nine years to rest homes, hospice patients and special education classes for children with disabilities.

He wasn’t a cuddly dog but a very friendly one… he had a mind of his own and would always communicate what made him happy and what did not. When he was happy, the whole room light up brightly and that was most of the time.

He deeply touched our lives and I know he brought a little joy to many of you on his “Skippy’s Friends” mailing list. So many of you supported him in his health crises, therapy endeavors and just helping him have fun and we all thank you for that.

We will miss him, but never forget him.

Tom & Marianne

We feel for Tom and Marianne’s loss.  Animals are not just pets — they are members of the family — and when the sun rises without Skippy in the O’Connell’s lives today, the sky will be just a little more dreary and the night will come slightly darker and a lot colder; but Tom and Marianne will be forever warmed and brightened by the joyous years they were able to share with Skippy.

2 Comments

  1. We loved Skippy very much, Tom. We laughed at his holiday celebration costumes and we rooted for his campaign to pass Proposition 19. Thank you for sharing him with us!

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