The New London Day 1/18/2026
Gracelyn O’Connell Obituary
Stonington – Gracelyn O’Connell, 78 years of age, died Friday, Jan. 9, 2026 at ARTIS Senior Living of Branford, where she had been a resident for three years.
Gracelyn was born Nov. 25, 1947, in Hillsdale, Mich., to the late Herman Snyder and Reva Snyder (McComb). She was the youngest of four children, one predeceased her in death.
Gracelyn was educated at the Grand Ledge Academy in Grand Ledge, Mich., and at Andrews University Michigan.
Gracelyn married the late David Alan Blackmer in 1967, and had one child Dee Alan Blackmer. She subsequently married John T. Guyol in 1989, with whom she happily lived in both California and Stonington. On his passing in 2016, she subsequently met and married Thomas O’Connell in 2018.
Gracelyn enjoyed multiple careers beyond being a devoted mother and wife. In California, she was a force in the wine industry as a public relations manager, and subsequently, ran her own highly successful agency. In 1991, she sold that business and semi-retired midlife to Connecticut, with plans to travel, sail, garden and play tennis. However, occasional bouts of depression changed some of those plans. While doctors recommended various medications, she found that holistic natural solutions worked better for her. To help others be aware of these effective options, Gracelyn spent three years educating herself while writing, “Healing Depression & Bipolar Disorder Without Drugs” (2006). The book’s scientific content led to delivering accredited day-long seminars for medical practitioners in 2007. She then published further books on the same subject, including “Who’s Crazy Here?” in 2010.
After the Newtown School shootings, the author was invited to serve on the Connecticut Children’s Mental Health Task Force. She submitted a 30-page recommendation of ten drug-free treatments that were inexpensive, easy to use, and scientifically proven effective. This research became her 2018 book.
Gracelyn was also very active in her community, including founding along with other likeminded environmental advocates CUSH (Clean Up Stonington Harbor, which was later renamed Clean Up Sound and Harbors) in Stonington in 2007. The mission of CUSH was to clean up and protect Fishers Island Sound and the coves, inlets, bays rivers, and harbors surrounding Stonington. Today CUSH continues to pursue Gracelyn’s vision though sustained water quality monitoring and by protecting good environmental stewardship through advocacy and public education.
She is survived by her husband, Thomas O’Connell; son Dee Alan Blackmer; her sister Marilyn; older brother Wilmer Snyder; her stepchildren, Thomas E. O’Connell, Kathryn Anne O’Connell and their children; along with her step-children from her previous marriage: Sarah Hayden Guyol, Elizabeth Guyol-Meinrath and Brenen Guyol.
There will be a celebration of Gracelyn’s life to be announced in due course. In the meantime, donations may be made in lieu of flowers to CUSH, P.O. Box 883, Stonington, CT 06378.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/theday/name/gracelyn-o-connell-obituary?id=60565610
