John William O'Mara

John William O’Mara, an exceptional fine artist, a certified plumbing and mechanical engineer, homebuilder and contractor, who was known in the Fresno area as the proprietor/owner of the former Body in the Bog Irish pub, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by family on February 22, 2025.

Born on August 18, 1937, in St. Clair, Michigan, John, who also went by “Jack” and “Jake,” was the second son of Carl E. and Dorothy E. (Lomas) O’Mara. He was predeceased by his parents and older brother James (Jim) Herbert O’Mara. The family included younger siblings Richard and Nancy who both live in Florida.

When John was a young child, his father, an aeronautical engineer with Curtis-Wright in St. Louis, was recruited to work for the Naval Department at the Pentagon at the beginning of World War II. The young family relocated to Washington, D.C., and John was raised in northern Virginia. He attended elementary and high school in Alexandria, Virginia, and was active in the cadet corps with his brother Jim.

John was determined to become an artist from an early age and received a scholarship in high school to study fine art at the Corcoran School of Art in Washington, D.C. In his early 20s, he was celebrated for his talent with positive reviews of his shows in galleries throughout the D.C., Virginia, and Philadelphia areas. He worked skillfully in every medium, including oil, pastel, charcoal, and clay, earning a residency at the School of Painting & Sculpture in Skowhegan, Maine. His work has also been displayed in the Smithsonian Museum. In the 1950s, he moved to New York City to study at the Art Students League, where he often assisted his instructors and advised colleagues much older than himself. He was known for his abstracts and etchings, and painted vivid scenes of human interplay as well as pastoral landscapes. Later, his scenes of old Fresno would be iconic. His oeuvre was endless.

In the early 1960s, John served in the 3rd Armored “Spearhead” Division of the U.S. Army stationed in Gelnhausen, Germany, one of three combat command services during the German Cold War. He received a commendation and was honorably discharged in 1965.

After leaving the Army, John returned to D.C.; however, he longed to return to a more peaceful Europe to continue his career as an artist. It was on the ship to Italy in the summer of 1963 that he met Elaine Gramis of Fresno, who was on her way to Greece to visit family. Their romance bloomed quickly through letters while they were apart, and within a few short months, they were married in Switzerland. They made their first home together in Florence, Italy, where John painted and they prepared to welcome their first child. Later, they returned to Elaine’s hometown and had two more daughters. They have lived in Fresno since 1965, with a brief career move to San Francisco, where John worked in an engineering firm and was its expert in large building plumbing systems.

Always curious and creative, John was a skilled mechanic and tinkerer, solving any problem with a mix of engineering and artistry. He loved being outdoors and working in the yard, frightening his family by trimming tree branches from the rooftop, often in his slippers. His interests extended to foreign cars, particularly British sports cars. He traveled extensively with Elaine from their 20s through their 80s. He also loved sailing and dreamed of sailing the world, but was happy to cruise peacefully on Millerton Lake and in the Bay Area on his elegant 1920s wooden schooner, Stardust. He collected books and read avidly of poetry, fiction, nonfiction and history. He loved a good story as much as a bawdy Irish joke. He was fond of Beethoven, Mozart, Joan Baez, Paddy Reilly, and the Chieftains.

Being an O’Mara, John was fascinated with his Irish heritage, and after retirement from homebuilding and consulting in the Bay Area, he lived out a lifelong dream running his own pub. In 2000, with no experience but a passion and willingness to work hard, he established the Body in the Bog. It became a huge success and earned him founder’s status in the fine beer and ale community. He truly enjoyed sharing his knowledge of beer and beer etiquette with his patrons. The “Bog,” as it was known under John, was one of the first and the few to offer a wide and unique selection of Irish, British, and German beers, as well as local and regional brews. He worked the bar, usually by himself, sometimes with trusted family members, every night a week – famously saying “if I’m here, we’re open; if I’m not, we’re closed.” His was a place where you knew what to expect: good beer, good conversation, lots of regulars, and a joke or two. There was no television, just Irish music and vestiges of Irish culture. He personally served the beers, scrubbed the taps, cleaned and shined the brass, swept the floor, stocked the fridge, and kept the books. He had a sharp wit, didn’t suffer fools gladly, nor did he allow the usual bar shenanigans. He kept track of everyone’s orders in a journal, serving the famous and the infamous, while denying the underaged and the overserved. He updated the chalkboard quote behind the bar daily, always followed by, “Please don’t annoy the barkeep.” Even after retiring for the last time, he was fondly and heartily welcomed any time he went in for a pint.

All throughout his life, John was a keen observer of the beauty and absurdity of humanity, imparting his wisdom often in humorous ways to his family. He entertained his younger siblings with characters he created, cartoons he drew for them, and funny songs he made up on the spot, which he then carried over to his own children and on to their children.

John is survived by Elaine, his wife of 61 years; brother Richard (Susan) of Palm Coast, Fla; sister Nancy (Jerry) Kassab of Altamonte Springs, Fla; three daughters, Catherine (Paul) Wallace of Bellingham, Wash; Melanie (Nick) Taylor of Santa Maria, Calif; and Sonia (Brian) Stuebe of New York City; eight grandchildren (Lincoln and Genevieve Wallace; Annie, John, Nick and Leonidas Taylor; Sienna and Athena Stuebe); several nieces, nephews, as well as their spouses and children.

Funeral Service will be held on Friday, March 7, at 11:00 a.m. at St. George Greek Orthodox Church, 2219 N. Orchard St., in Fresno. Graveside Service will be held at Fresno Memorial Gardens, on Saturday, March 8, 2025 at 11:00 a.m and followed by a celebration of life at 1:00 p.m. at John’s “Body in the Bog” (Bog House Pub, 7089 N. Marks at Herndon; no-host bar). All are welcome to share stories and toast John’s safe journey.