‘With the grace of an athlete’

Throughout her years in Newport Beach, Sandra O’Connell lived the

sporting life.

She was an accomplished youth gymnast and a renowned sailor as an

adult. O’Connell was the first woman to be named youth activities

sailing instructor for the city of Newport Beach.

“She was a natural athlete -- you put her in any given sport and

she’d be able to do it,” said O’Connell’s sister, Katherine Watson.

O’Connell died Aug. 10 after a long battle with cancer. She was

62.

Born in Los Angeles, O’Connell lived for part of her childhood on

her grandparents’ ranch in San Juan Capistrano, where she learned

horseback riding.

When the family moved to Newport Beach, O’Connell made a name for

herself as a ranked gymnast.

Her athleticism was never more apparent than on a trip to Utah as

a Girl Scout. The group was on a hiking expedition, Watson recounts,

when lightning struck a nearby tree.

O’Connell “was able to do forward rolls to get away” from the

falling tree, Watson said. O’Connell’s gymnastic skills kept her from

serious injury.

A graduate of Newport Harbor High School, O’Connell played golf at

Orange Coast College. She sailed for the Lido Isle Yacht Club, and

was a sailing instructor at the Balboa Yacht Club, often serving as a

skipper.

O’Connell had a number of jobs, including a position at Aetna

Insurance, which hired her as an adjuster and soon promoted her to

management.

But her real love was travel. While attending UCLA, she studied

international relations. Rather than stick it out in the classroom,

Watson said her sister felt the need to live out what she was reading

in textbooks.

“She used to say, ‘I want to see what I read about firsthand and

check out what is being reported to me ... The best way to know a

culture is to go there,’” Watson said.

So O’Connell set off for Europe, spending a year there, primarily

in Florence, Italy. Her travels took her to Fiji, Thailand,

Australia, and countries in Africa and South America.

Watson said her sister enjoyed learning the cultural norms and

linguistic nuances in the countries she visited. She also enjoyed

designing her own trips and later taking friends and family on a

guided tour of a region.

“She loved travel and she was constantly doing things for other

people,” said Norman Watson, O’Connell’s father.

She spent extended time in Ensenada, Mexico, where she served as

secretary to a community organization. She and her husband, Frederick

William O’Connell, eventually retired there.

Sandra O’Connell was an enthusiastic beachgoer who enjoyed dance

and athletic activities until her body would no longer let her

compete.

“She continued to move with the grace of an athlete,” Watson said.

* ELIA POWERS is the enterprise and general assignment reporter.

He may be reached at (714) 966-4623 or by e-mail at

o7elia.powers@latimes.comf7.

SANDRA O’CONNELL

* Born: Aug. 24, 1942

* Died: Aug. 10, 2005

* Memorial service: Held for family and friends

* Survived by: Son, Sean Gordon; husband, Frederick William

O’Connell; sister, Katherine Watson; and father, Norman Watson