Longtime area attorney was most proud of helping victims of childhood sexual abuse, remaining humbly focused on justice for his clients
Jerry O’Neill passed peacefully on December 3, 2023, after a long illness. He was born and died on the hills overlooking Lake Champlain and lived most of his life near the lake’s shores. But Jerry’s world was anything but small. He was a world traveler whose long life was rich with beloved family, friends and colleagues; a successful career; and a love of food, travel, photography and wine. Born in Burlington, Vt., to Phyllis (Chagnon) and Frederick O’Neill, Jerry spent his childhood in Swanton hunting, fishing and playing basketball on the St. Anne’s Academy high school team. He attended Georgetown University and Georgetown Law School, where he was an editor of the Law Journal. Jerry served as an active-duty U.S. Army officer, attaining the rank of captain, and in the Vermont National Guard for more than 20 years. In 1972, while in the military, Jerry was stuck on a plane circling through the snow above Burlington, trying to get home from Fort Knox, while his daughter Kate was born. In his early career, Jerry clerked for two federal judges before joining the Rutland U.S. Attorney’s Office in 1973. His daughter Maura was born in Rutland on a hot summer day in 1974. A year later, he was appointed first assistant U.S. attorney under his friend Bill Gray and eventually became U.S. attorney for Vermont. Since 1981, Jerry has been in private practice in Burlington. He was the senior partner at O’Neill Crawford & Green (later O’Neill Kellner & Green) for 27 years, before joining the law firm Gravel & Shea, where he worked until his passing. Among his many professional accomplishments, Jerry was most proud to help victims of childhood sexual abuse. He was one of the first lawyers in the country to hold the Catholic diocese accountable for crimes perpetrated against children, and his cases often garnered national media attention. Jerry remained humbly focused on justice for his clients, stayed close with many of them, and was honored to be a part of their recovery and lives. Whether it was weekly lunches with his best friend, Geoff Crawford; dinners with “the Lovely O’Neill Sisters,” as he referred to his daughters; or Zoom calls with his siblings, he nurtured and cherished his relationships and was a devoted and generous friend, father, sibling and partner. Jerry didn’t meet his soulmate until he was in his late fifties, but Giuliana was…
Longtime area attorney was most proud of helping victims of childhood sexual abuse, remaining humbly focused on justice for his clients
Jerry O’Neill passed peacefully on December 3, 2023, after a long illness. He was born and died on the hills overlooking Lake Champlain and lived most of his life near the lake’s shores. But Jerry’s world was anything but small. He was a world traveler whose long life was rich with beloved family, friends and colleagues; a successful career; and a love of food, travel, photography and wine. Born in Burlington, Vt., to Phyllis (Chagnon) and Frederick O’Neill, Jerry spent his childhood in Swanton hunting, fishing and playing basketball on the St. Anne’s Academy high school team. He attended Georgetown University and Georgetown Law School, where he was an editor of the Law Journal. Jerry served as an active-duty U.S. Army officer, attaining the rank of captain, and in the Vermont National Guard for more than 20 years. In 1972, while in the military, Jerry was stuck on a plane circling through the snow above Burlington, trying to get home from Fort Knox, while his daughter Kate was born. In his early career, Jerry clerked for two federal judges before joining the Rutland U.S. Attorney’s Office in 1973. His daughter Maura was born in Rutland on a hot summer day in 1974. A year later, he was appointed first assistant U.S. attorney under his friend Bill Gray and eventually became U.S. attorney for Vermont. Since 1981, Jerry has been in private practice in Burlington. He was the senior partner at O’Neill Crawford & Green (later O’Neill Kellner & Green) for 27 years, before joining the law firm Gravel & Shea, where he worked until his passing. Among his many professional accomplishments, Jerry was most proud to help victims of childhood sexual abuse. He was one of the first lawyers in the country to hold the Catholic diocese accountable for crimes perpetrated against children, and his cases often garnered national media attention. Jerry remained humbly focused on justice for his clients, stayed close with many of them, and was honored to be a part of their recovery and lives. Whether it was weekly lunches with his best friend, Geoff Crawford; dinners with “the Lovely O’Neill Sisters,” as he referred to his daughters; or Zoom calls with his siblings, he nurtured and cherished his relationships and was a devoted and generous friend, father, sibling and partner. Jerry didn’t meet his soulmate until he was in his late fifties, but Giuliana was…