Page 33 - O Mahony Society Newsletter December 2024_Neat

he was objectively asymptomatic. How typical of John to minimize his own health
burdens while focusing on a joyous Gathering.

We knew John was a native Californian, a patent attorney, and a sailor on San
Francisco Bay. It was the family who gave us additional details.

Born in 1946, he attended Bellarmine College Preparatory, an all-boys, Jesuit,
private secondary school in San Jose, California. In this oldest secondary school
in California (and the second-oldest west of the Mississippi), he was instilled in
the Jesuit principle that faith and social justice are interconnected, which was a
principle that guided him throughout his life.

As a young man, John enlisted in the U.S.
Navy. On leave in the Philippines, he fell in love
with sailing, an avocation he later continued
with family and friends on the San Francisco
Bay. I have fond memories of talking about sailing with John, but I was a
weanie sailor on the Chesapeake Bay.
Following the Navy, John pursued an education in the biological
sciences and the law. John had a long and satisfying career as a patent
attorney. Who could have foreseen that his biology education would
also serve him in his retirement?

John’s family shared that he was an enthusiastic admirer of the arts,
especially music and photography. He filled the house (and the computer)
with photographs from his world travels. He also compiled an extensive
collection of music from classical to Celtic to jazz that he loved listening to
early in the morning.

Like his father before him, John was a great conversationalist. As I knew
John, he was conversationally engaging without being overly loquacious.
He knew the math of listening: two ears and one mouth. He enjoyed
meeting and speaking with friends, old and new. John treasured the
friendships that he made through the O’Mahony Society. He especially
looked forward to the annual Gathering in Ireland where he could see his
friends in person.

The O’Mahony Society also gave John the opportunity to pursue his
interest in genetic genealogy. John was drawn to genetics and genealogy
for a number of reasons. He loved the challenge and the mystery, but
above all, the story to share.
To honor John’s Irish heritage, O’Carolan’s Farewell by the Irish composer Turlough O’Carolan was
performed on the cello during John’s funeral Mass. It is a very haunting piece and the notes just hung in the
air in the old church. John would have loved it.
John is survived by his loving (and lovely) wife, Mary Ann, their son Jack, their daughter Laura, and his
brother, Mark (Ellen), as well as his nephews Steven (Jennifer), Michael (Xueyan), and many wonderful friends.
John was a joy to love and to know and he will be sorely missed. John, we hardly knew you but will miss
you always. Our sincere condolences and deepest sympathies go to his entire family.

Unable are the loved to die;
For love is immortality. - Emily Dickinson

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