John Joseph REILLY

REILLY, John Joseph (1922-2004) A life of dedication to others has come to an end after almost 82 years, with the passing of John Joseph Reilly on Wednesday, June 16 at the Ottawa General Hospital. John finally gave in to pneumonia. Born September 16, 1922 in Montreal, John was the only child of John Joseph Reilly and Gertrude Tooker. He lived a carefree life until the Great Depression robbed his family of its wealth and a stroke robbed his father of his ability to work. John Jr. quit school in Grade 8 to become his family's primary breadwinner, holding down a range of jobs until the Second World War. Poor eyesight prevented John from becoming a pilot or a gunner, so he was trained in the new science of radar and helped establish a series of radar bases in the UK. He also spent time in Newfoundland; installing radars and falling in love with the people and the land. After the War, John remained in the service of his country in the air force for over 30 years and he dedicated himself to the care of his parents. John's care of his ailing father enabled him to meet and fall in love with a nurse named Lena Turpin - a Newfoundlander living in Montreal. A whirlwind romance included dates walking up the stairs of St. Joseph's Oratory on their knees and sleeping through South Pacific. On April 30, 1960, John married Lena and what quickly followed was a succession of five children and a series of moves to Gander, Sydney, Kapuskasing, North Bay and finally to Ottawa in 1978. During that time he rose to the rank of Chief Warrant Officer and was an integral part of the team that managed Canada's height finders from coast to coast. In Ottawa he was employed as a civilian working for the navy until 1996 after 52 years in service to his country. He rode his bike to work at the Department of Defence until he retired at the age of 74 to tend to Lena, who was suffering from Alzheimer's. For two years he lovingly tended to her at home before reluctantly giving her over to the care of Barbara Rifkin at the Ottawa Valley Special Care Residence. John rode the city bus every day from his home to be with Lena for 5 hours and feed her lunch. His broken hip frustrated him mostly because it kept him from seeing her very much until her death in November of 2002. Since September of 2002, John has called the Perley Rideau Veteran's Health Centre home. For the past 21 months he has fully enjoyed life and the attention of his family and the caregivers at the Perley. John's family thanks all of the staff of Rideau One South for their wonderful devotion to him. John is survived by his children, Joseph (Beth Green), John (Kim O'Leary), Mary (Spencer the cat), James (Misty Cloud the other cat), and Patricia (Sean Smith), and his grandchildren Simon, Sophie and four-month old Fiona. Visitation will take place on Friday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. at the Whelan Funeral Home, 515 Cooper Street (between Bay & Lyon) in Ottawa. The funeral will take place on Saturday, June 19 at 10 a.m. in the Chapel at the Perley Rideau Veteran's Health Centre, 1750 Russell Road, Ottawa. In lieu of flowers the family asks that you consider sending donations to The Perley Rideau Veterans Health Centre Foundation. The Ottawa Citizen