Edward J. O'Reilly

Edward James O'Reilly, 74, of Unionville, passed away peacefully on Saturday, June 25, 2022, at home with his wife and children by his side, after a short, brave battle with cancer. Ed is survived by the love of his life and wife of 57 years Diane O'Reilly. Besides his wife, he leaves behind his cherished children Kathleen, Brian, and Heather; five grandchildren: William Edward, Delaney Kaye, and Bella Rose O'Reilly Wild; Arianna Sunshine and Jameson Patrick Canny; two sisters: Martha O'Reilly Keener and Brenda Rose Milkofsky; many cousins, nieces and nephews. Ed also leaves Kelley Brown Hyland and Patricia Jo Reilly, dear "like daughters", as well as his beloved dog of 11 years, Roxanne.
Edward was a lifelong Connecticut resident, born in Hartford on February 6, 1948 and raised in West Hartford in a home built by his father. Ed attended parochial and public schools, in Hartford and West Hartford, as well as the University of Hartford and Data Processing Institute. As a child, he was an altar server for St. Mark the Evangelist Parish and, for the last 40 years, he was a respected member of the Parish Council and Eucharistic Ministry of St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish in Unionville. For more than 35 years, Ed was a proud volunteer with the Manchester Road Race, making many lifelong friends and bringing on two more generations of O'Reillys to the effort. His community involvement was most often based on a grandchild's interest, whether Boy Scouts, the Farmington Friends of Robotics, or Nutmeg Television. He was known to travel regularly to Irish dance competitions, basketball, baseball, diving, field hockey and lacrosse games, art shows, school concerts and film premieres; he was a quiet fan who cheered for whoever scored on either team. With Diane, Ed never missed a chance to celebrate an academic or community honor bestowed upon one of his children or grandchildren, including 8 high school and 5 college graduations. Ed was a long-time member of the Irish American Home Society and was a 4th Degree Knight and a member of the Knights of Columbus Council 32 for 27 years.
Cornerstones of Ed's life were his family, friends, ingenuity, and Irish ethnicity, but his love for Diane was the foundation of it all. Ed met Diane at age 14 at the Our Lady of Sorrows Fair and charmed her in spite of his painted-green sneakers. Married at 17, and as young parents, their love story weaves largely around growing up together and setting the standard as a passionate, devoted couple. They loved socializing together with their children, grandchildren, cousins and many friends, hosting a delicious home-cooked brunch or barbecue, or a spontaneous "life is good" celebration. Ed and Diane enjoyed traveling: visiting family in Ireland, Oktoberfest in Germany, horse races at Saratoga Springs, and the beach at Hilton Head Island. For 25 years, the couple "honeymooned" on Aruba, their happy island, often including friends and family on the trips. They loved to dance, whether to Motown, Proud Mary, disco a la Saturday Night Fever, or two-stepping like they owned Gillie's Dallas Bar. Ed loved live music, which took them to small venues as well as concerts and parks, including the Talcott Mountain Music Festival each summer. Ed spent many happy vacations in Newport, Rhode Island, and in Old Lyme. Ed loved chronicling the O'Reilly family tree and enjoyed his dual citizenship with Ireland, making many memorable trips "home" with Diane, his sisters, Kathleen, Brian, and his golf buddies.
Ed spent memorable moments on many golf courses in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York, but his most treasured times on the greens were with his son Brian; the men who played together as "Team 5" in the Gerber Golf League for 40 years: Jay Kohler, Don Lepore, Dave Squires, and Jeff Weisenberger, some of whom were also a part of the annual Myrtle Beach trips for 30 years that included Gary Bennett, Gary Flynn, Jay Kohler, Scott Snietka, and Frank Wilk.
Since 1993, Ed was the proud President and CEO of Basic Innovations, which he founded after successful careers with IBM, Sanders Corporation, and 17 years at Gerber Scientific Instruments. Ed was happiest when he could innovate for a customer's unique business challenge, whose solution most often included a bonus feature that no one had considered, and a lot of jokes along the way. The family has fond memories of Ed building his first home computer "Polly Plum" and teaching them Basic. He was instrumental in developing database applications and websites for his children's businesses, and proudly introduced anyone who would sit with him to the wonders of technology. His fun with a CB radio morphed into a passion for ham radio (call sign KA1ZOI), and his fascination with space travel inspired him to pursue private piloting lessons. His sense of humor rubbed off the most on daughter Heather, who inherited his gifts for seeing the goodness in others without judgment.
Ed lived every day to the fullest with a magical combination of faith, grace, humility and Irish craic. He is remembered as one of the best men, mentors, friends and relatives one could ever know, and is sorely missed by all who loved him.
The family extends its appreciation to the Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Connecticut.
Visitation will be Thursday, June 30, 2022 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Sheehan-Hilborn-Breen Funeral Home, 1084 New Britain Avenue, West Hartford with a Funeral Mass on Friday, July 1, 2022 celebrated at 12:30 p.m. at St. Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church, 145 Main Street, Unionville. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Farmington Friends of Robotics or to the Edward J. O'Reilly Scholarship Fund (email: ScholarshipFundEJOR@gmail.com), which will award an atypical Farmington High School graduate with a demonstrated passion for robotics, audio/visual services, or art. Online condolences may be made at www.SheehanHilbornBreen.com.