Memorial
Ashley Nicole O'Connor, 34, of Cedar Rapids, passed away unexpectedly on June 22, 2026. Family and friends are invited to celebrate Ashley's life during a visitation from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 2, 2026, at Cedar Memorial Park Funeral Home. A memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, July 3, 2026, at Cedar Memorial Park Chapel of Memories.
A livestream of the service may be accessed on the funeral home website under the obituary for Ashley, under the video tab starting at 1:00 PM, July 3, 2026.
Ashley was born on June 24, 1991, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, she was the beloved daughter of Shelley McMurrin. She graduated from Prairie High School and earned her Associate of Arts degree from Kirkwood Community College. She married Bryce Sykes in 2014 and welcomed their son Bronson. They later divorced. In 2018 she met the love of her life, Colin O’Connor and they married in 2020, with their daughter Ireland blessing their union.
Throughout her career, Ashley worked at Nordstrom, Crystal Group, TrueNorth, and Cedar Memorial Funeral Home, where she formed many meaningful friendships.
Ashley cherished her family. Being a wife and mother brought her the greatest joy. She loved making memories with her children and found happiness in life's simple moments spent together at home.
Ashley was known for her bright smile, contagious laugh, and ability to make everyone feel welcome. She never met a stranger and built lifelong friendships, including her cherished group of friends known as the "Crazy Eights." She also enjoyed golfing, true crime documentaries, country music, and cheering on her Hawkeyes and her favorite artist, Chris Stapleton. She loved adventure, traveling, attending concerts, skydiving, ziplining, or simply spending time with those she loved.
Left to cherish her memory are her husband, Colin O'Connor; her children, Bronson Sykes and Ireland O'Connor; her mom, Shelley McMurrin (Rod); Ed (Diane) O'Brien; her sister, Brooke (Derek) Hepker; siblings, Quinn (Katie) O'Brien, and Zoey (Brayam) Jauregui Rubio; her grandfathers, Thomas "Mick" Welsh, Larry Johnson, and Ronald O’Brien; and many extended family members and friends.
Ashley was preceded in death by her grandmothers, Carol Welsh and Carol Johnson, and her beloved dog, Bentley.
Ashley loved deeply and lived fully. Her kindness, laughter, and beautiful spirit touched countless lives, and her memory will live on in the hearts of all who knew and loved her.