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3/13/2021 Peter J. O’Connell – Scituate Peter J. O’Connell was born in Providence on April 16, 1921, to Mary McKiernan O’Connell and Peter O’Connell who had immigrated from Ireland. He lived to nearly his 100th birthday. Peter was raised in Mount Pleasant and attended Blessed Sacrament School and LaSalle Academy. He recently listened to the funeral Mass for his beloved wife, Fran, and mentioned that he sang some of the hymns that were incorporated in her Mass while at Blessed Sacrament School and was paid 25 cents for his efforts. His strong faith and moral values were rooted in his...

The first executive director of the Rhode Island Lottery, Peter J. O'Connell, died at his home in North Scituate on Wednesday, just a few weeks shy of his 100th birthday, his family said. O'Connell became director of The Lot after a 25-year career with the Rhode Island State Police, where he retired as a major and also served as acting director. He was inducted into the Rhode Island Criminal Justice Hall of Fame in 2014. Tapped to head the lottery by then-Gov. Philip Noel in 1974, O'Connell reluctantly accepted and held the post until retiring in 1993. The state agency's headquarters in...