Robert Ward O'Reilly

Captain Robert W. O'Reilly USN (Ret.) died on March 4, 2015 at Upper Chesapeake Hospital.

Bob was born on September 10, 1926 in Dallas Texas. The son of an Old Sea Dog he entered the US Naval Academy in 1944 graduating in 1948. He was commissioned as a gunnery officer and was assigned to the USS Missouri. In 1952, he entered Submarine School in New London CT and later served as Operations Officer and Navigator aboard the USS Grampus. Bob left active duty in 1955 for a career with Honeywell continuing his service in the Naval Reserve until 1973.

Bob met his bride Madeleine Geoghan of New York, NY in 1946 when she was invited by a girl friend to attend a spring dance at the Naval Academy. A long distance romance ensued culminating in their marriage on December 4, 1948 in Port Jefferson, NY. Their first son Robert O'Reilly, Jr was born in April 1954 followed in August 1956 by their second son, Kevin. After a few years in Levittown PA, the O'Reillys settled in Fallston, MD where they have lived since 1962.

After leaving the Navy, Bob joined Honeywell as a sales engineer in Philadelphia. He rose through the ranks becoming a regional sales manager based in Baltimore. During his time at Honeywell, he was an active supporter of the Naval Academy, attending class events, aiding students interested in attending the Academy, and enjoying football and lacrosse games in Annapolis. He also enjoyed boating on the Chesapeake Bay.

Outside of work Bob was active in his community, particularly supporting the development of the John Carroll School in Bel Air where he was the organizer of the school's first Spring Fair. He later became an actor in community theater where he played varied roles such as the Judge in a production of Twelve Angry Men, starred as Mel Edison in The Prisoner of 2nd Avenue, the Rabbi in Fiddler on the Roof, and Ernie Kovaks in Bell, Book and Candle.

When he retired from Honeywell 1995, he became involved in many activities. Bob was a long-time volunteer with the Red Cross, assisting at blood banks and in providing local emergency relief. When the new USO facility opened at Baltimore-Washington Thurgood Marshall airport Bob stepped up to help the men and women of the US military. He dedicated his time to helping service members as they travelled to and from duty stations around the world. This entailed everything from helping a service person get a cab to a train station, a hotel room, a hot shower, or a decent meal while they were travelling in service to our nation. He found this to be one of the most gratifying experiences of his life.

In retirement, Bob and Madeleine enjoyed the adventures of Space Available travel to various countries in Europe. Over the years, they visited Spain, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Greece, and Turkey. Eventually they became regular visitors to the Victory Club in London, England.

Bob was a great and dedicated husband and father. He lived his life with a commitment to decency, integrity and respecting all as equals. He was a true gentleman.

He will be sorely missed by his wife Madeleine, son and daughter-in-law Robert and Fran O'Reilly and their daughter Aidan O'Reilly, son and daughter-in-law Kevin and Pam O'Reilly and their children Alex and Carrie O'Reilly , Alex's partner Arielle Webster, and great grandson Declan O'Reilly of Maryland.

In lieu of flowers, a contribution can be made to Red Cross of Central Maryland, 4800 Mt. Hope Drive, Baltimore, MD 21215 or USO Assistance Office, 7062 Elm Road, Baltimore, MD 21240.