John O'Reilly

John F. O'Reilly passed away, Monday, December 8th, 2008 in St John's Hospital, after a short illness. John was born February 1st, 1924 in Ferdinand Indiana to Charles Francis Patrick O'Reilly (10/31/1883-11/19/1974) and Anna Klara Paulina (Scheiper) O'Reilly (6/29/1887- 12/11/1945). In 1927 "C.F." moved his wife and nine children to Springfield, to the family home he had built on forty acres on West Sunshine. There the family endured the great depression, C.F. worked outside the home, while Klara raised the, by then, ten children, helping support the family by raising chickens and gardening . John attended St Agnes Grade School and graduated from St Agnes High School, 5/30/1943 after which he attended Southwest Missouri State College. John joined the US army in 1944, initially stationed in New Orleans as an MP, later serving in the Philippines until the end of the War. John began his long work career as a salesman for Link Motor Supply, where his father and brothers worked. The O'Reilly family left Link Motor in 1957 at which time John's father, Charles F. O�Reilly, founded O'Reilly Automotive.

John retired from the automotive business in 1982, and began working full time in his other passion, real estate. Through the creation of five corporations and partnerships John provided home loans to hundreds and hundreds of families and businesses who may otherwise been unable to obtain financing. Although a successful and shrewd businessman, John had a soft heart, extending loans and housing to many people in need, with no thought of how they would pay him back.

John married Emily Patricia Scott, (4/26/25- 5/26/89) they having met while attending SMS. Together they raised five wonderful children, initially residing in the family home he purchased from his father on West Sunshine in Springfield, later moving to Lebanon, Mo. After retiring from the automotive business, John returned to live in Springfield with his second wife, Elizabeth LaFrance (4/2/1932-8/1/2006), having reacquired the family home his father built in 1927. He and Elizabeth resided in this home until the time of her death in 2006.

Throughout his life, John was a hands on person. Having survived the great depression, he developed skills that lead to a passion of fixing that which was broken, and making it better in the process. He possessed an innate ability to repair anything mechanical, electrical, automotive or otherwise. He took on tasks thought impossible by the average man, like the successful raising of an 80,000 lb house boat from the bottom of Lake Ozark in the 1960's without the help of heavy equipment, only wrecker trucks, cable and ingenuity. Until his heart surgery in 2000, he worked daily on the maintenance and repair of his various properties, not because he had to, but he liked to. John will be greatly missed and well remembered by all who knew him.

John was preceded in death by his parents and seven siblings; Michael Byrne O'Reilly, Mary Louise Arnold, Charles Henry O'Reilly, Sister Mary Antonio O�Reilly, Claire Marie Koch, Joseph Francis O'Reilly, and Mary Ann Schlesinger; His wife Emily Scott O'Reilly, His wife Elizabeth L. O'Reilly and her grandson Flint Burrows-Reeves.

Surviving him are his five children, Paula Katherine O'Reilly-Green and her husband Christopher, their three children; Siobhan, Meghan, Caitlin. Laura Patricia O'Reilly and her husband Peter Mayer, their two children, Brendan and India. Erin Leigh O'Reilly and her husband Jay Diamond, their son Jesse Ray. Lisa Jane Riley, and her husband Michael Riley, their children Sammy, Sarah, Steven. John Scott O'Reilly his wife Terri, their children Laurel and Emily. His brother Anthony O'Reilly of Lebanon, and his sister Catherine Anderson of Springfield. Three step-children Debi Waggoner, and her husband John, her daughter Barbara Cash, Sheena Beauchamp, her husband Gene, her children Grant and Nolan Irving. Sheri Born, and her husband Michael, their children Shane, Kyle and John Cole, and numerous nieces, nephews, grand nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. Wednesday December 10, 2008 in Herman Lohmeyer Funeral Home, 500 E. Walnut St with prayer services starting at 7:30 p.m.

Funeral Mass will be at 11:00 a.m. Thursday in St. Agnes Cathedral with Father Mike McDevitt celebrant.

A private family interment will be at 1:00 p.m. Friday in Calvary Cemetery, St. Louis, MO.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks, Ozarks Food Harvest, or the Southwest Missouri Humane Society.

Online condolences can be shared at www.hhlohmeyer.com.