Obituary of Michael Joseph Reilly

Michael Reilly Obituary

Michael Joseph Reilly
Sept. 21, 1921 - May 9, 2023
Mike Reilly passed away May 9, 2023, at 101 years old. Mike was born in Corglass, in the parish of Drumeela, County Leitrim, Ireland. His parents were Patrick and Mary Kate O'Reilly. He was number two in a family of 10 children. He was the last of the O'Reilly clan of that era. After some schooling, Mike worked for two years in the town of Carrigallen with his cousin Austin Kenny. They worked as barbers and had a watch repair business. As work was scarce in Ireland at the time, he was invited to go to London for a job in a hotel as a waiter and a bartender. He did that for five years. He told many stories about the wonderful times he had in London. He and some Irish buddies went on to do the same thing in Toronto, Canada. More wonderful memories. After a few more years, he and his Irish friends moved to San Francisco.
Mike was set up on a blind date with Joan Marcella Bedard, who later became his wife. They were married in San Francisco and had a grand Irish wedding with a police escort set up by some Irish friends. After a few years, it was time to move on again. Mike and Joan would work as a waiter and waitress in many restaurants all over the country. Including: Stamford, Conn., Fort Lauderdale Fla., Los Angels, Calif., and Minneapolis, Minn. It was there they started their family. Michael was born in 1964 and Mary in 1965. After three years of extreme weather in the winter and in the summer, they decided to move to a milder climate to raise their family and settled in Portland, Ore.
Mike worked as a waiter at the Thunderbird across from Memorial Coliseum on the Willamette River. He would tell stories about waiting on famous people who visited Portland like Howard Cosell, Kareem Abul Jabbar and all the Trailblazers etc. While Mike was working in the afternoons and evenings, Joan would collect a handful of rental homes in N.E. Portland. In 1977, Mike and Joan would retire from the restaurant business, sell their rental homes and move to Gresham where they bought a home for the aged. They would run that business for the next 10 years before fully retiring and moving to the beach in Lincoln City. Their final stop on their journey would be in Canby to be closer to their children and grandchildren.
In 2010, his wife, Joan, passed away after almost 60 years of marriage. Mike was a faith filled man who said the Rosary every day and was dedicated to the Catholic Church. He loved all sports, especially his Seattle Mariners. So glad they made the playoffs last year.
He was a true gentleman who treated everyone he met with respect. He was a very positive and optimistic person who was liked by all. He was a great example for everyone in his life of hard work and putting family first.
Mike is survived by his daughter, Mary Walton (Doug) and their two daughters, Riley and Megan; son, Michael O'Reilly (Joan) and their four sons, Jack, Danny, Brian and Conor. Rest in Peace Dad…You will be greatly missed.
A funeral Mass will be held at 11 a.m., Wednesday, May 24, 2023, at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Canby, Ore.