Joseph Patrick O'Reilly was born in 1941 in Arlington Massachusetts to Mary and Daniel O'Reilly with brothers Dan and Kevin. He graduated from Matignon High School in Cambridge Massachusetts and attended Tufts University where he earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering. After graduation in 1962 he worked for Westinghouse on the Blackbird SR71 Design Team and the Gemini Spaceship Design Team. Joe married Kitty Wright in 1963 and they flew to Hawaii for their honeymoon. Joe enrolled in the University of Hawaii where he earned a MA in Industrial Psychology (1965) and a PhD in Experimental Psychology (1969). In 1969, to celebrate the completions of their degrees, Joe and Kitty departed for a year of travel in the South Pacific. In 1974 Joe and Kitty's daughter Amber was born. They passed on to her a love of learning, camping and traveling. Returning to Hawaii, Joe was hired by the University of Hawaii as an Associate Professor in the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources. Joe's specialty became research methodology, how to design and carry out research projects that would provide valid and reliable data. He worked as a CTAHR researcher, a Fulbright Scholar, and adjunct East West Center Researcher and USAID consultant which led him to research in 41 countries over 20 years including presenting at a conference in China in 1982 and a Sabbatical in Sri Lanka in 1984. He received numerous teaching awards including the UH Regent's Medal for Excellence in Teaching and the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture Teaching Award of Merit. After he retired in 2001, Joe found a new teaching opportunity at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology at Coconut Island where he led community tours of the historical sites and current research of the island and he helped to develop hands on displays for their Community Education Program. Joe was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 1991 but he refused to let it slow him down. He continued to do construction projects on the house and travel around the world. He died surrounded by his family on February 23rd 2019. The family will be making donations to the Hawaii Parkinson's Association.
Joseph Patrick O'Reilly was born in 1941 in Arlington Massachusetts to Mary and Daniel O'Reilly with brothers Dan and Kevin. He graduated from Matignon High School in Cambridge Massachusetts and attended Tufts University where he earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering. After graduation in 1962 he worked for Westinghouse on the Blackbird SR71 Design Team and the Gemini Spaceship Design Team. Joe married Kitty Wright in 1963 and they flew to Hawaii for their honeymoon. Joe enrolled in the University of Hawaii where he earned a MA in Industrial Psychology (1965) and a PhD in Experimental Psychology (1969). In 1969, to celebrate the completions of their degrees, Joe and Kitty departed for a year of travel in the South Pacific. In 1974 Joe and Kitty's daughter Amber was born. They passed on to her a love of learning, camping and traveling. Returning to Hawaii, Joe was hired by the University of Hawaii as an Associate Professor in the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources. Joe's specialty became research methodology, how to design and carry out research projects that would provide valid and reliable data. He worked as a CTAHR researcher, a Fulbright Scholar, and adjunct East West Center Researcher and USAID consultant which led him to research in 41 countries over 20 years including presenting at a conference in China in 1982 and a Sabbatical in Sri Lanka in 1984. He received numerous teaching awards including the UH Regent's Medal for Excellence in Teaching and the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture Teaching Award of Merit. After he retired in 2001, Joe found a new teaching opportunity at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology at Coconut Island where he led community tours of the historical sites and current research of the island and he helped to develop hands on displays for their Community Education Program. Joe was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 1991 but he refused to let it slow him down. He continued to do construction projects on the house and travel around the world. He died surrounded by his family on February 23rd 2019. The family will be making donations to the Hawaii Parkinson's Association.
Our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased
