In Memory of<br/>
John Fitzgerald O'Mahoney<br/>
November 8, 1946 – March 10, 2008<br/>
John Fitzgerald O’Mahoney
November 8, 1946 – March 10, 2008
There’s a line from one of my favorite movies, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” It occurs during the final moments of the film after Clarence the Angel has shown George Bailey how much he has meant to the people he’s known. “Each man’s life touches so many other lives,” says Clarence. “When he isn’t around he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?”
John O’Mahoney’s life was such that if he hadn’t existed, the world would have been a poorer place. He touched so many other people’s lives in a positive way and left so many people happier for having known him, that it’s fitting we honor him and hear from those who knew him.
“John enjoyed the trucking lifestyle because he could travel, see new places and meet new people,” says Barbara O’Mahoney, John’s wife of 36 years. “He had so many interests that if an opportunity presented itself, he would become involved. He liked to talk to people and he had many, many friends.”
JohnO, as he was known, who lost his brief battle with lung cancer on March 10, personified the phrase “a man of many parts.” He was an expediting owner-operator, ExpeditersOnline Forum moderator, U.S. Armed Forces veteran, law enforcement officer and a volunteer for numerous charitable causes. Married in 1972, John and Barbara were the parents of Sean and Debbie and proud grandparents of Lilly(4), Lyla (9 months) and Maggie (8 months).
A U.S. Navy veteran of the Vietnam era, John was aboard the U.S.S. Yorktown during the recovery of the Apollo 8 spacecraft. He spent 29 years as a police officer (badge #11) with the Brick, NJ police department and was honored with numerous commendations for his service with the department. And if working full-time in law enforcement wasn’t demanding enough, he also found time to operate his own pizzeria.
Following retirement from the force, John discovered a passion for hiking, especially on his home range Appalachian Trail. His involvement in hiking led to the development of his own web site dedicated to ultralight backpacking (/ www.monmouth.com/~johno/) and the founding of the BackpackingLight Yahoo Group.
John’s friend and fellow backpacking enthusiast Ryan Jordan remembers his hiking partner: “JohnO, as we all liked to call him, was an important force in helping to inspire the lightweight backpacking movement as we know it today.”
“JohnO had a passion for lightweight backpacking that reflected not only his enthusiasm, but his desire to share it with others because he truly believed it would change their life on the trail.”
“JohnO’s infectious laugh, interest in people, uncompromising character, and as much passion for life’s lows as its highs, all put him in a class few ever achieve, and I can only hope to realize this in my dying days.”
“JohnO taught me a few simple rules of life: family matters, character counts, hike light, and have fun.”
JohnO was the consummate volunteer, serving as a Big Brother, Scout leader/advisor and, as close friend Bob Hopkins relates in an article, a volunteer at a summer camp for children with cancer and blood disorders: “I recruited John to help work on the fishing dock and he jumped in whole heartedly, with his usual gusto.”
“When he developed prostate cancer, and successfully overcame it, he was able to place a certain bead, designating a “cancer survivor”, on the necklace that is given to all camp counselors and children. He proudly showed it to damn near all of the 170 kids, signaling that he was “one of them.”
“He and I spent hours on the dock working one-on-one with blind or autistic campers, given a second challenge, along with their cancer. I observed the gentleness and caring he exhibited and the tears he tried to hide.”
“Fortunately, the vast majority of these children recover and many will remember John with his hearty laugh, his crazy hats, and the Irish flavor we lent to the dock by flying the Irish tri-colors alongside the Stars and Stripes.”
JohnO was a diehard Yankees fan and a NY Giants supporter and his love of sports also accounts for another interest of this multi-faceted man: He enjoyed visiting Major League ball parks around the country and his goal was to see ’em all.
Retired expediter Rich Moore remembers JohnO: “We met at the Mid-America Trucking Show a few years ago and remained in touch after that. I was born and raised in NJ and lived a good part of my adult life there so I bonded with John as Jersey guys do. My wife would say to me, ‘I always know when you are on the phone with John because you laugh throughout the conversation.'”
“John was a classic Irish New Jersey guy. He was always a cheerful, happy-go-lucky individual. And in regards to his expediting career, he did it right. He drove an owner’s truck at first and learned the ins and outs of the business before buying a used truck of his own. He selected the right company for a solo driver and most importantly, he asked questions and did his research.”
Expediting owner-operator Linda Caffee says, “John and I worked at the Expedite Expo a couple of years ago and our friendship developed from that. When we would talk on the phone or through emails, we never seemed to discuss expediting. Instead, we would talk about the motorcycle he found on ebay and carried in his truck, the Appalachian Trail and other topics.”
“John had a lot of stories and I could listen to him for hours; he had the ability to make an ordinary occurrence sound interesting. He wasn’t the kind of person to just let life happen, he went after it. He had the reputation of being a prankster and always had a good tale to relate about a trick that he had played on someone.”
Fellow expediter Leo Bricker says of JohnO, “I’m very glad that I had the opportunity to know John for the brief time I did. He was a guy who was willing to help in any way he could and was the type of person that everyone wants to know.”
Yes, John’s passing has left a hole in the lives of everyone he knew, but we can take solace in knowing that if we live righteous lives, we’ll be seeing JohnO again.
Rest in peace, John.
