Kim O'Neal Kicks Grass!
Upon meeting her you’ve probably noticed a few things right of the bat. For one, she’s tall. But beyond that she welcomes people with sincere interest and kindness, accompanied with a great, enthusiastic smile (and often a huge hug). She has the fantastic ability to calm people when they are frustrated, and always remains sweet and level-headed. These are only a few examples of why Kim O’Neal is an awesome woman.
Kim grew up on Ocracoke and is a true “local,” living here her entire life. Kim loved being a child on Ocracoke where, “everyone was really like family.” She reminisces about long summer days spent outside with her younger sister Merrian, where they, “played in the dunes and sand piles, and used to fill up metal clam buckets with water,” as a makeshift pool to cool off from the intense summer heat. Kim spoke of their mother sending them outside in the morning by 8, then struggling to get them back in the house when evening came because they, “didn’t want to come in; we were having too much fun!” She also recalls some bitterly cold winters, and not too fondly. Kim is not a cold-weather kind of gal.
After graduating from Ocracoke School, Kim began working for the North Carolina Department of Transportation Ferry Division making reservations for passengers who traveled to and from Ocracoke via Swan Quarter and Cedar Island. Next she started working in the “Ship’s Store” and remained there until all the stores closed toward the end of 2009 and beginning of 2010. For a brief period, Kim returned to making reservations, and in 2010 began working in the office, which she thoroughly enjoys.
In 1998, in the midst of working for the Ferry Division, she rekindled a relationship with her high school sweetheart Reggie O’Neal, Jr., and in 2003 they were married. In 2000, prior to their marriage, she and Reggie created their own business, Ocean Breeze Lawn Care, and began maintaining many yards for home and business owners around Ocracoke. She credits her father, Thomas Midgett, for her interest in lawn care as she, “started cutting grass with Dad in 1996 or ’97,” and enjoyed it from the start. On a typical day Kim will not only mow about twenty yards, but also weed whack, do any necessary or requested pruning, minor tree-trimming, and finish off with leaf and sand blowing. As with any machinery, theirs need maintenance and repairs (some expected, some unexpected), but it’s all worth it to Kim because she loves being able to work for herself, she takes pride in what she does, and feels, “there’s nothing better than the smell of freshly cut grass.”
For several years Kim and Reggie have also been picking up recyclables and transporting them to the dump for home and business owners. Once the county funded garbage pick-up service was eliminated in 2012, they also began collecting garbage from residential and business properties around the village. While their lawn care services and recycling pick-up may slow down a bit during the winter months, piling and transporting garbage does not, so she remains active with the business throughout the year.
When Kim actually has free time, she enjoys spending time with her friends and family, including their two “spoiled rotten” dogs Heidi and Sheldon, who they both consider their children. Kim and Reggie enjoy trekking to Greenville, NC multiple times a year where she, “loves, loves to go bowling,” stating, “I kick my husband’s butt every time!” While on Ocracoke, Kim loves to go shelling and treasure hunting, always looking to, “find pieces of history,” which have washed onto the shore. She has also taught herself how to refurbish and paint furniture, and create chair covers.
Locally, what Kim is probably most known for is her extreme talent for making Halloween costumes. She has hand-sewn various costumes so she and Reggie can go out as a theme, and they have won contest after contest. In the wake of last year’s government shut-down, Kim made head-wear so one was the Democrats’ Donkey and the other was the Republicans’ Elephant, with appropriate signage to represent both parties. Previous costumes she created for herself and Reggie were the Tootsie Pop Owl and the Tootsie Pop, the Geico gecko and Caveman, the BP oil spill with angry seagulls and clams, and Ronald McDonald with the Burger King, as well as costumes for her niece and nephew.
Cheers to you, Kim. You are one helluv-an-awesome woman.
Editor’s Note: Do you know a woman who is being awesome? Email Crystal at crystalcurrentlee@yahoo.com
