Thomas M. O'Reilly

O'REILLY Thomas M. Former Blade Chief Photographer Thomas M. O'Reilly passed away on Wednesday, March 21st, 2007, at Hospice of Northwest Ohio. He was eighty-eight years old. For over fifty years, Thomas was an active member of OLPH Church and helped sponsor the construction of the current church and school. He served his country in WWII as a CB in the Navy and worked at various positions on the staff of the Toledo Blade for 44 years finally serving as the Blade's Chief Photographer until his retirement in 1984. Thomas photographed presidents, presidential inaugurations, major sporting events and a variety of news stories. During his career he received numerous awards for photography. Thomas was most well known for his 'human interest' pictures which adorned the cover of the Blade's Sunday Magazine for many years. "Through his photographic talent, Tom O'Reilly showed us a fresh perspective; the enduring beauty of everyday sights. A baby with a ball, an elderly man sitting in the park, an old farmhouse, these were the simple pleasures Dad brought us. We take comfort that for over 40 years; his work was enjoyed by so many." Said Tom's son, Darby O'Reilly. Thomas O'Reilly was a member of the Tile Club of Toledo, a club of distinguished artists from the Toledo area. Thomas also enjoyed a range of hobbies including cooking, wine making, painting and construction of ornamental bird houses. He also volunteered delivering meals on wheels and tutored grade school children in reading. Long time friend and neighbor, Thomas Solon commented: "Thomas loved having family and friends around. It was always fun to visit his home because it was always filled with laughter and fun." Thomas was preceded in death by his wife of fifty years, Florence (Ohlman) O'Reilly; his granddaughter, Anna O'Reilly; parents, Leo and Blanch O'Reilly and sister, June Kralik. Thomas is survived by his wife, Margaret (Bea) O'Reilly and his children, Timothy Patrick O'Reilly (Sue) of Philadelphia PA, Kathleen Ann Devlin of Amelia Island, FL, Patricia Lou O'Reilly of Raleigh, NC, Shawn Michel O'Reilly (Katherine "Kit") of Durango, CO, Kevin Thomas O'Reilly (Carol) of Toledo, OH; adopted niece, Monica Hyland (Michael "Ozzi"), Terry Lee O'Reilly (Elena) of Albuquerque, NM, Darby Jay O'Reilly (Nancy) of Dearborn, MI; grandchildren, Patrick O'Reilly (Kristen), Sean O'Reilly (Autumn), Colleen O'Reilly, Amy Wiginton (Benjamin), Peter Devlin, Steven Devlin (Carolyn), Ali Kisiel, Katiana Kisiel, Gabriel O'Reilly (Blare), Mathew O'Reilly (Heather), Robert O'Reilly, Randy O'Reilly, Brendan Hyland, Corey Hyland, Thomas O'Reilly, Kathleen O'Reilly and Benjamin 'Cooper' O'Reilly; stepchildren, Matthew Fitzgibbons (Connie) of Toledo, Beth Kahdem (Navid) of Paducah, KY, Peter Fitzgibbons (Marta) of Sulphur, LA, Joni Arredia (Chuck) of Toledo, Fran Bordenkircher (Larry) of Baltimore, MD, John Fitzgibbons (Beth) of Freemont, CA, Jeffrey Fitzgibbons of Hilliard, NJ and 11 stepgrandchildren. A memorial service will be held at OLPH Church on Saturday, March 24th at 10 a.m. Donations can be made to The Kidney Foundation and Hospice of Northwest Ohio. No flowers please.