Obituary for John B. O'Reilly Jr.

"In the time of your life, live—so that in that good time there shall be no ugliness or death for yourself or for any life your life touches."

John "Jack" B. O'Reilly Jr.'s time came on Wednesday, January 1st, 2025, as he passed away peacefully while surrounded by those he loved. His favorite music was played, namely Cat Stevens and Simon & Garfunkel, and the words of his favorite passages read – those of Rudyard Kipling, William Soroyan (quoted), and Leonard Cohen. While Jack may have had his time come, he made sure to do the one thing the above passage always reminded him to – live.

That life started on September 21st, 1948 in Detroit, MI when he was born to John B. and Violet O'Reilly. It was the place he was raised that would become his heart and home – Dearborn. One of seven siblings, Jack attended St. Alphonsus like his father, John Sr., before him (and would eventually be the same school he began his own children's education). After his graduation in 1966, Jack began working as a camp counselor at his beloved Camp Dearborn. It was there one day when he and some friends heard about a music festival taking place in Upstate New York. Always the free spirit, Jack ditched his post that day (apologies to Camp Dearborn) and would find himself present at the Woodstock music festival. "Life" just happened to take him there.

Inspired by that experience and the burgeoning art scene of the late 1960s in Detroit, Jack would enroll at the London-Based Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts through Oakland University and earn his Associates Degree. That acting bug took him west to Los Angeles, where he would thrive amongst a contingency of future award-winning actors and directors working both behind and in front of the camera. But, as he would later admit, something was "calling him home."

He thought the call was to finish his Bachelor's Degree in Theater at the University of Detroit-Mercy, but it was there he actually found much more – his future wife of 48 years, Christina. They were married soon after at the Martha Mary Chapel at Greenfield Village on June 12th, 1976 where promises of a lifelong love were made and always kept. One of those promises he made to her was a "life of adventure." A man always of his word, he did not disappoint.

While he would always love the arts, he was soon reminded of the advice his father, John Sr., always gave: "If you don't like the way things are, change them yourself." Inspired by his father's own commitment to public service in Dearborn, serving as Police Chief and later Mayor, Jack worked to receive his Juris Doctor from University of Detroit Law School and graduated as student bar president and "student of the year." He began that journey into public service working for the late Senator George Hart before serving as staff counsel and district director for Congressman John D. Dingell, a man who would have a profound and inspirational effect on his life. This position would take him to Washington D.C. working on Capitol Hill and it was there that he and Christina found out they were expecting their first child. Once again, something "called him home." This time, it was to return to Dearborn to raise their family.

That family grew as they welcomed three boys: Devon (1985), Sean (1989) and Dylan (1991). For him, it was now time to make Dearborn their home too and follow in his own father's footsteps. After serving as Chief Executive Director of the Downriver Community Conference (DCC), Jack would go on to create and serve as CEO for the Southeast Michigan Community Alliance (SEMCA), a non-profit organization that provided career and workforce development to Southeast Michigan. While he was active in communities all over the state, Jack always made sure his commitment to Dearborn came first.

He would be elected to the Dearborn City Council in 1990 and serve as Council President for sixteen years. This is where his love for the city only grew. Jack was always quick to point out he was a "public servant" and not a politician, seeing the former as the true mission to his post: to humbly serve the community around him. It was this Dearborn community that became his second family, and he, a fixture of it. If you have met Jack O'Reilly, you likely have a story. And, if he met you, he probably had ten more for you if you both had the time. He listened to neighbors. He learned from those around him. He loved spending time with fellow Dearbornites. From his dramatic storytelling during his favorite time of year "March Reading Month" to schools and libraries, an almost decade-long reprisal as the "Grandfather" in Noretta Dunsworths School's performance of The Nutcracker, or even shaving off his iconic mustache when asked to for a role in a Dearborn High School student film – he never did let go of those arts he loved so much. All he ever asked was, "how can I help?"

In 2006, after the tragic passing of then Mayor Michael A. Guido, Jack felt the best way he could help his city was to serve them as Mayor and would go on to do so for the next fifteen years of his life. During his time as Mayor, Jack used the bill writing and legislative skills he sharpened at both the State and Federal level to push Dearborn towards the future. He strived to improve the city's infrastructure, helping to create the John D. Dingell Transportation Center and worked closely with Ford Land on the Wagner Place Development, which has now transformed West Dearborn. He was a proponent of economic development for the city, pushing forth a "One Dearborn" ideology that sought to unite the city. His work in the city would earn accolades and recognition from many outside of Dearborn. He was elected President of the Michigan Municipal League in 2015, appointed to the Executive Committee of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation by Governor Rick Snyder in 2016, and served on the United States Conference of Mayors amongst many other civic and community organizational involvement.

Through it all, that "One Dearborn" ideology Jack always went back to extended far beyond economic development to how he saw the city in its ideal state: as a place of unity. Regardless of ethnicity or religion, Jack was an advocate for all in Dearborn. He was always proud of his community, one that stayed united even when many outsiders would try to tear it apart.

That pride was evident on any vacation he went on. Whether visiting family in Los Angeles, the Outer Banks, or one of the many cross-country road trips he would take the family on ("why fly when you can see the world from the ground level?" – Jack could always be seen wearing some kind of "DEARBORN" logo on a hat or shirt. Somewhere between walking billboard and ambassador, Jack always wanted people to know where he was from because it was the place that made him the great man he was. A man who created a legacy within the city he loved and with the family who now mourn, but more so celebrate, that time we all had with him.

Jack is survived by the woman he promised adventure to forty-eight years ago, Christina, their three sons Devon (Melissa), Sean (Ronit), Dylan (Natalija), and five grandchildren Kai, Quinn, Madison, Connor, and Henry along with his fellow siblings Maryann O'Reilly Dennehy, Leslie O'Reilly,  Dennis and Noemi O'Reilly, Cheryl Davis, Larry and Maureen O'Reilly, and many nieces and nephews.

Jack is preceded in death by his mother and father, Violet and John B. O'Reilly, sister, Patricia O'Reilly, brother, Joseph O'Reilly, and brothers-in-law, Jerry Davis, Raymond Dennehy, and Jerry Gajewski.

"In the time of your life, live—so that in that wondrous time you shall not add to the misery and sorrow of the world, but shall smile to the infinite delight and mystery of it."
With the full life he lived, there is no doubt Jack is indeed smiling down upon us now.
In honor of Jack's life, a Public Memorial will be held on Saturday, February 1st from 1:00 P.M. until 4:00 P.M. in the Lincoln Ballroom of the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center located at 15801 Michigan Ave, Dearborn, MI 48126. Memorial contributions may be made to the Dearborn Education Foundation or Friends for Animals of Metro Detroit