Name: Murphy Funeral Homes
Address: Arlington, VA

Over a year has passed since your Dad's passing but the photos just warm my heart.  

Love to all, Donna

Mary Ann, I'm sorry I never had the honor of meeting your Dad. He was an extraordinary man and I know he will be missed by many. Keeping you and your family in my thoughts and prayers.
Hugs to all, Debbie, Phil & Morgan Thomas

Mary Ann, I never had the pleasure of meeting your father, but your photographs and stories made him as present in my mind's eye as possible.  Such a wonderful life, lived fully and joyfully.  His grandest legacy is the family he filled with his irrepressable spirit and gifted to this lucky world. I'm so glad you had such a father!  I know you will miss him.  Dana. Bob and Hunter

The O'Malley family in and around Boston always called him Uncle Joe.  That really wasn't so strange since Aunt Sis was actually Mary and Aunt "Rita" was an alias too!
To me, he was Uncle Joe and he was my Godfather.  I remember most his calm manner (in a family that was anything but calm) and his truly wonderful smile.  When Uncle Joe smiled, which was often, he grinned from ear to ear and his smile lit up the room.  I never heard him raise his voice. I remember cookouts at his house in Weymouth and visits with him and Aunt Helena during the summers they spent in Marshfield.
Uncle Joe, may the road rise up to meet you......
Love, Cathie O'Malley

Mary Ann, I'll always treasure the terrific stories you shared with me about Dad. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. Love, Sheila

I am so sorry to hear of your loss. Condolences to all of you. I always had a great respect for your dad. Growing up, I thought of Uncle Mike as a gentle, caring and passionate man who loved his family very much and made everyone feel welcome in your home. Not to mention that he made the best lasagna ever! 
Rest in peace Uncle Mike. Give Auntie Helena, Mom and Dad a big kiss for me.
Love, Rosemary

We're going to miss you Mike, especially that twinkle in your eye and your wicked Irish humor.  And Mary Ann will miss you most of all.

Michael Joseph O'Malley, age 95, died on January 25, 2013, at Emeritus at Arlington, VA, his residence since 2005. 
He was born on June 3, 1917, in Boston, MA., the son of David and Mary O'Malley. As a boy, he was always called Joe; the story in the family is that a clerical error switched his first and middle names on his birth certificate. He graduated from St. Columbkille's Parochial School in 1930, and from Boston English High School in 1935. After working as a welder at a foundry, Mike followed his three brothers into the service, enlisting in the United States Coast Guard on the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor; he said he chose the Coast Guard because it had the shortest line. It was in the Coast Guard that he became known as Mike. He served on Nantucket Island and as a cook on LST 782, an amphibious landing ship in the Pacific. Mike took part in the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa in 1945, for which he was awarded two battle stars for initial amphibious assaults on those islands. Mike always insisted that his military training consisted of being measured for a uniform and said he learned to cook from a 15-page John Hancock cooking pamphlet he was issued.
After the war, Mike worked at the post office in Quincy, MA, for 30 years, until he retired in 1976. He married Helena Hope Loughan in 1950 in Weymouth, MA, where Helena taught first grade at Nevin School for many years. They lived in Weymouth, raising three children.  After Helena retired from teaching in 1977, they moved to Spring Hill, FL, where they enjoyed a long and happy retirement until Helena passed away in 2005. A devoted husband and father, Mike loved spending time with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was a great and adventurous cook, trying anything from lasagna to flaming veal Marengo. An avid golfer, he continued to play regularly well into his 80's. He never lost his playful sense of humor, or his love for the Boston Red Sox and the New England Patriots. Mike loved to tell about the time he met Babe Ruth, after sneaking into a Red Sox game as a boy. Ruth tipped him lavishly for fetching his hotdog and root beer.  During his seven years at Emeritus, Mike, "Papa" to the staff, was a favorite resident, loved for his sweet nature and good natured kidding.
 Mike was preceded in death by his siblings Mary (Sis), Austin, David, Rita, and John (Jack). 
He is survived by his three children: David O'Malley, Gainesville, FL; Mary Ann Taylor, Arlington, VA; and James O'Malley, Lawrence, KS; five grandchildren: Meghan Berry, Arlington, VA; Virginia Taylor, Charleston, SC; Paige Taylor, Arlington, VA; Michael O'Malley, Chicago, IL; and Rosemary O'Malley, Chicago, IL; and two great-granddaughters: Miriam and Virginia Berry, Arlington, VA. 
If desired, donations in Mike's memory may be made to Home for Our Troops, 6 Main St., Taunton, MA 02780. 
An Irish wake in his memory will be held at Emeritus at Arlington Retirement Community at 3821 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA, on Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013, from 2:00 to 4:00 PM. Mike will be laid to rest at Bushnell National Cemetery in Bushnell, FL, in the spring.

OBITUARY

Michael Joseph O'Malley

June 3, 1917 – January 25, 2013

Murphy Funeral Homes

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