Patrick G. O'Hare

Born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on December 19, 1917
Departed on September 9, 2008. Resided in Cedar Rapids, IA.

Memorial

** Patrick G. O'Hare, 90, of 3717 2nd Ave. SW died on Tuesday September 9, 2008 at Heritage Nursing and Rehab after a long illness. A Memorial Mass will be held at 11 AM Saturday, September 13, 2008 at St. Jude Catholic Church, Cedar Rapids. Rev. Daniel G.O'Hare S.J. will officiate. His body has been donated to the University of Iowa for medical research. Cedar Memorial Park Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Survivors include his wife, Kathleen, two sons, Rev. Daniel O'Hare S.J. of New York City, James P. O'Hare and his wife Thunhi of Cedar Rapids, a daughter, Patricia A. O'Hare of Boston, Massachusetts and one sister, Margaret Ellis of Minnesota. He is also survived by one grandson, Patrick V. O'Hare and four step grandchildren, Minh, Chau, My, and Phi Tran. He was preceded in death by one brother and one sister.
Pat was born on Dec. 19, 1917 in Cedar Rapids, the son of Terrence and Daisy Kilroy O'Hare. He married Kathleen L. Welch on Nov. 22, 1945 in Westfield, Massachusetts. Pat worked as the General Yardmaster for the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad and retired from there after 41 years of service.
Pat proudly served in the Army Air Corps during WWII. He was a radio operator-gunner in the China-Burma-India Theater. He flew 57 combat missions and was awarded 2 Distinguished Flying Crosses. There were many more. PGO represented the best of his generation. He was not, by any standard, perfect, but the members of that group are quite few in number. In the world in which he lived he did the best he could, in his personal life, at work, and most importantly, providing for his family. We will not see his likes again. Perhaps his legacy can be summed up by the final lines of a contemporary film 'There are some who would say that he was a great man. There are some who would say he was less than that. But when you ask me, my answer is always the same—Patrick G. O'Hare was my father.'Please leave a message or tribute to the O'Hare family on our web page, www.cedarmemorial.com under Obituaries.

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