Rita Alice O'Reilly

Rita Alice Henning O'Reilly, age 83 of Hardinsburg, joined her Lord and Savior in Heaven on the evening of Tuesday, Oct. 21. She was surrounded by her loving children in the comfort of her home on the family farm.
Rita was born April 12, 1942 to Joseph Paul Henning and Mary Magdalene Henning. She graduated from St. Romuald in 1960, where she met the love of her life, Earl O'Reilly. The two were joined in holy matrimony in 1962 and were together until Earl's passing in 2020. Together, they had five children, Danny (Sandy) O'Reilly, Mary Alice (David) Basham, Frances (Jerry) Froman, Rose (Bobby) Alexander, and Laura O'Reilly.
In addition to running a successful farm with her family, Rita worked at Wal-Mart and the County Attorney's Office. She was a friendly face anywhere she was, and people within the community always had lovely encounters with her. Her greatest joys in life were her family, her faith, and helping others. She always took the time to lend a helping hand where she could, and her gentle spirit filled others with love always. Rita did volunteer work for the church and school over the years, and she cared for many of her nieces and nephews whenever needed. Her home was a place of solace for many. One of her famous lines was "when you do good and kind deeds, you are earning stars in your crown." If you knew Rita, you know her crown was plum-full by the time she reached the end of her Earthly journey.
Rita's family tree extended into many branches from the roots she established with Earl. She is survived by her children: Mary Alice Basham, her husband David, and their children Adam, Reilly, Andrew, and Luke; Danny O'Reilly and his wife, Sandy and their daughters, Hannah and Becca; Frances Froman and her husband Jerry, and their children, Brittany Watson and Daniel Stanley; Rose O'Reilly Alexander and her husband, Bobby, and their children, Morgan Fillmore (Clay) and Jacob Kerr (Kristen); and Laura O'Reilly and her children, Ameila and Emma Foran, whose father Steve was also close with the family. In addition to her children and grandchildren, Rita was blessed with 26 great-grandchildren.
Her family enjoyed any time spent with her, and everyone knew well that playing games, one of her favorites, never resulted in a win, as Rita would reserve no mercy in her skills! Rita was a true light in this world and all who knew and loved her were better for doing so. Her spirit was pure, and she taught us all what love and light really meant.
Funeral services will be held at St. Romuald Catholic Church on Saturday, October 25, 2025, at 11 AM with burial in the church cemetery. Visitation will be held at Trent-Dowell Funeral Home on Friday, 4 – 8 PM and 8 – 10:30 AM on Saturday. All times are central.
Expressions of sympathy are suggested to St. Romuald School.
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