Kourtney M. Mckeone-O'Connor

Kourtney Moira McKeone-O’Connor, 44, passed away tragically at her home in Burlington, NJ, the week of July 31, 2023. She was born on July 19, 1979, to Grace and Walter McKeone. She attended Fonda-Fultonville Central School and was active in track, volleyball, and cheerleading before graduating in 1997. She loved horses and spent hours outside of school trail riding with her siblings and friends and training her own filly. Kourtney attended Johnson and Wales University from 1997-2001, earning Associates and Bacherlors degrees in culinary arts and management. She worked at several restaurants in Providence, RI, and Boston, MA, before becoming a catering manager at Harvard Business School, where she notably catered dinners for President Bill Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, and other celebrated guests of the school. More importantly, she met fellow cook Dan O’Connor, and they were married on her 24th birthday in 2003. Together, they began to renovate houses in the Boston area for several years before moving home to Cobleskill, NY, to reinvent themselves and pursue careers in nursing. Kourtney worked as a tech at Ellis Hospital while attending Maria College, where she graduated summa cum laude with her Associates in Nursing in 2009, then Western Governors University, where she earned her Bachelors of Science in Nursing Education in 2012. She worked as an RN at Ellis and St. Peters Hospitals until 2013, when she and Dan moved to Sarasota, FL, to live the beach life. There, she worked as a trauma nurse at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. Kourtney loved nursing and thrived on adrenaline, and she was well respected in her field. However, the constant exposure to trauma in the emergency room took an emotional toll. She and Dan divorced in 2018 and Kourtney soon moved to Venice, FL, leaving the ER behind for Tidewell Hospice, where she made home visits and provided comfort care to patients facing end of life. She continued that into 2020 and the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, which hit hard within the nursing community. It particularly affected nursing homes, and Kourtney’s mother, Grace, went into the care of Sunset Lake Health and Rehabilitation Center in Venice during the lockdown. Undaunted by the cease of visitation, Kourtney left hospice and became a unit manager at Sunset Lake, taking on one of the most heartbreaking roles of the pandemic to be with her ailing mother. She spoke darkly, though, about the toll the pandemic took on her elderly patients, many of whom had no way of understanding their isolation. Unfortunately, Kourtney’s own physical and mental health further declined. She became severely depressed and suffered bouts of liver disease due to alcoholism. She left Sunset Lake once the lockdown lifted, working only briefly for Lee Memorial Hospital in Fort Myers in 2021 and then Restore Medical Partners in Venice from 2022-2023. She struggled worryingly, especially upon the passing of her father, Walter, in April 2022. Kourtney’s dream was to sail the world with Dan or buy an RV and become a travel nurse seeking new adventures and experiences, so, finding new vigor in April 2023, she left her painful life in Florida behind for New Jersey, taking her very first travel assignment in Burlington with ProLink Healthcare. She had found new hope and was enjoying exploring the local community in between frequent visits with her mother and siblings in Albany, NY. She remained on that optimistic path until the unexpected passing of her former boyfriend in July 2023, followed by the news that their pets were in limbo with animal control in Florida. Kourtney was a lifelong empath and animal lover, and she was unable to cope with the news in her fragile mental state. After several days of relapse, she succumbed to liver disease and was found deceased in her home on August 5. Kourtney is survived by her mother, Grace McKeone, of Albany, NY; sister, Kelly McKeone (Nathan Eden), of Albany, NY; brother, Kyle McKeone, of Schenectady, NY; ex-husband, Dan O’Connor, of Sarasota, FL; aunt Marylou VanVranken, of Kissimmee, FL; and many cousins and friend She was predeceased by her father, Walter McKeone; grandparents, Eva and Bill McKeone and Dorothy Sollohub; her former boyfriend, Shawn Witte; several aunts and uncles; and many pets who gave her joy through the years, especially her beloved cat, Delia, and dog, Hurley. Kourtney is so loved by those who survive her and she will be remembered as a smart, spirited, kind, courageous, and determined woman who relished the world at her fingertips and always had big plans. She was sensitive and creative, a fantastic cook, a generous friend, and a savior of animals in need. Her passion as a nurse made her an inspiration and mentor to many, and she believed firmly in lifting one another up in an industry she said often “eats its young”. Yet, Kourtney fought an internal battle that none of her beautiful attributes could overcome. She described the anguish growing within her as being a like a weed, but I can never pull out its roots. Her family hopes that speaking openly about her struggles and tragic death will help bring compassion to the epidemics of mental illness and substance abuse. Everyone knows someone who suffers these afflictions; they don’t discriminate and nor can we. Kourtney brought so much good into the world and was so much more than her illness. Donations made in her honor to the SAFE Project’s “No Shame” movement (www.safeproject.us/donate/) would be greatly appreciated. This organization helps provide access to resources and strives to end the stigma of seeking treatment for mental illness and addiction, the coexisting disorders that claimed Kourtney’s life. Calling hours will be held at Demarco-Stone Funeral Home, 1605 Helderberg Ave, Rotterdam, NY, on August 26, 2023, from 9:30-11 a.m., followed by a celebration of Kourtney’s life at 11am. She will be laid to rest with her father in a private burial.