Honorable Timothy Dean "Tim" O'Leary

1928 - 2020

Honorable Timothy Dean O'Leary
July 24, 1928 - October 6, 2020
Kansas City, Missouri - Honorable Timothy Dean O'Leary - Beloved Husband. Proud Father, Grandfather and Great Grandfather. Legend. Hero. Friend. Tim was born on July 24, 1928, in Kansas City, Missouri. He passed away peacefully on October 6, 2020, at the age of 92 with his beloved family by his side.
Tim grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, attended Rollins Grade School, Westport Junior High School and Westport High School, graduating in 1945 at the age of 16. His family didn't have any money or a car, so he went to work at 11 years of age selling journal post papers on the corner of 39th and Main. At age 12, he worked for Crown Drug Store delivering products on a bicycle for 10 cents an hour. At age 13, he worked for Winstead's on the Plaza as the first frosty malt maker. At age 14, he set pins at the bowling alley on 40th and Main. At age 15, he went to Wellington, Kansas and worked on the Santa Fe Railroad on freight cars. At age 16, he went to Roswell, New Mexico and worked climbing telephone poles, both jobs working 12 hours a day, 6 days a week.
Tim went on to serve as a Sergeant in the United States Army Air Corps from January 28, 1946 – December 23, 1948, as World War II was coming to an end, stationed in Korea.
He graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia (Mizzou) in 1952. He was a member of Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity. He would say the best part of college was meeting our Mom, Darlene McBride O'Leary. Dad was a house boy at the Chi Omega house where they met. He would always say it was the best job he ever had. Tim and Darlene enjoyed an incredible life together – a true love story. They married on June 11, 1955, at Visitation Catholic Church, had six children, 12 grandchildren and one great-grandson. They loved to dance, winning several dance contests. It was common to see them dancing to Frank Sinatra in the living room. We smile at the thought of Mom and Dad jitterbugging in Heaven once again!
Tim graduated from UMKC Law School in 1956. He began his law career in the Kansas City Attorney's Office and then private practice. He was appointed in 1969 as a Judge in the Sixteenth Circuit Court in Jackson County, serving for 20 years before joining the Law Firm of Shughart Thomson and Kilroy, now Polsinelli.
Besides being known as the best dressed lawyer in Kansas City, Tim received many awards throughout his career, including: the Charles Evans Whittaker Award for Judicial Achievements, Spurgeon Smithson Award for Extraordinary Service and Dedication to the Legal Profession, and ultimately the Lifetime Achievement Award from the KCMBA, the highest honor the organization bestows. Upon hearing of his death, his law firm shared, "Tim was an extraordinary lawyer, judge and legal leader. Most of all, he was universally loved and respected as a man of good humor with impeccable integrity. He was a role model for many of us. Tim was a devoted husband to his wife, Darlene, for 58 years, before her death in 2013. Tim loved life, his family, his friends, his colleagues, and his profession. We should all be grateful and proud that he was part of our firm."
Tim advised his friends at Polsinelli on July 24, 2018, that he was retiring from the active practice of law at the young age of 90. He shared that the past 30 years had been a wonderful experience for him, much attributable to the friendships he had made and working with so many good lawyers. He loved the field of law!
Tim is preceded in death by his beloved wife, Darlene and son, Ted. He leaves his son Dr. Timothy O'Leary and his wife Kathleen and their children Timothy McBride and Madelyn Grace; son Terry and his wife Lynn and their children Ryan and his wife Maddy and their son Mason Timothy; Brendon and his wife Jackie, Thomas and his fiancé Whitney Walker, Mary and her fiancé Kevin Jacobs, and Amy; son Tom and his wife Jennifer and their children Lindsey, Tommy and Addie; daughter Lorrie and her husband Jon Ritchie and their children John Michael and Megan McBride; and his beloved daughter Megan Mavourneen.
Dad died the way he lived, at peace with God, his family and his friends. He would leave us all with one of his favorite quotes: "Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest." – Mark Twain. Dad would then add his own advice: Drink plenty of water. Sleep at least 8 hours. Walk 2 miles a day – with a smile on your face. Don't envy anyone – you already have more than you need. Make peace with problems of the past. If you don't care about other people and just live within yourself, you will lose the best of life. However good or bad the situation, it will change. Smile and laugh more – much more. Keep a balanced life – work hard, be a person of integrity, keep your word, develop and maintain a good sense of humor, be a person of good will, truth, honor and integrity, and God will smile on you. Find the best in others. Give of yourself. Leave the world a little better. Don't go to bed mad. If you make a mistake or something bad happens, stop it, get over it and move on. Do not hold grudges. If you don't forgive others, the person you hurt the most is you. Walk humbly with God. Call your parents often. Be nice to old people, especially your Grandfather Tim! And above all, The Best Is Yet To Come!
Come celebrate Tim's life with us at a Drive By Visitation on Friday, October 16th, from 2 pm – 4 pm, behind the Temple Mausoleum in Mt. Moriah Cemetery, 10507 Holmes Road, Kansas City, MO 64131. Please use the south cemetery driveway to enter for the visitation. There will be a private family Mass of Christian Burial on Saturday, October 17th at Visitation Catholic Church, followed by a private family burial at Mt. Moriah Cemetery. Friends are invited to livestream the funeral service on Saturday the 17th at 9 am at www.FB.com/MtMoriahNewcomer or at www.mtmoriah.net, scroll down and click on Timothy O'Leary's name, then go to View/Join Livestream. To view his full obituary, visit www.mtmoriah.net. Donations may be made to Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Joseph.