Kenneth "Ken" O'Neil

Ken O’Neil was born in Winnipeg, Canada in 1938. His family moved to Ontario and later to Vancouver Canada where he grew up. He became a telecommunications engineer, married and had two children, Danny and Maureen. He was a pioneer scuba diver for the Vancouver Aquarium and an avid adventurer, His interest in art started by learning wood carving from his Uncle Rod. After a full career in the high-tech world in Silicon Valley, he moved to Taos NM where he married Andrea Heckman. Their creative partnership spanned 34 years including travels to many countries while filmmaking, writing and furthering Ken’s career in painting. He was represented for many years by the Fenix Gallery in Taos, as well as galleries in Santa Fe and California, and in group exhibits and invitational shows. His paintings are in numerous private, international and corporate collections. His most recent show was January 25, 2025, a very well attended grand event, a true celebration of his life and work. His strong body carried him through many adventures as an avid kayaker, hiker, skier, runner and cyclist.

He is survived by his wife, Andrea Heckman, his son Dan O’Neil of Portland Oregon, Maureen Gile of Sandy Utah, and stepsons Michael Berryman of Fresno CA and Geoffrey Berryman of Tucson AZ, as well as grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

He was a dear friend to many in the Taos community and will be greatly missed. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to Stray Hearts Taos Animal Shelter, which Ken loved to support.