Janis Ann (Mohr O'Reilly) Gold

Age 89, of Columbus, formerly of Naples, FL, Chagrin Falls and Pepper Pike, OH, and Pittsburgh, on Sunday, November 1, 2026. Beloved wife of Sidney Gold, and previously of the late Thomas J. O’Reilly (1991); loving mother of Michael (Slawomir Siejka), Patrick, and Thomas (Christine Elizabeth “Beth” Granger); devoted grandmother of Daniel (Dinu), Katie, Sean (Maria), and Mackenzie; cherished “Granny Janny” to Jarrad, Jillian, Jessica, Rachel, and Sara; dear sister of Ronald, Judith, Nancy, Robert, and John (Jack) Mohr; trusted friend to many. She is preceded in death by her parents, Helen and George Mohr, and her sister Margaret.

After graduating from Baldwin High School (1954), she worked in trust department of Mellon Bank (1954-1958). After her boys had left for college, she earned her B.A. in History from Ursuline College (1987). She would later serve on the Ursuline Board of Trustees for many years.

On August 23, 1958, she married Thomas J. O’Reilly, and began her life as a homemaker, the greatest joy of her life. Early in their marriage, Tom became a partner at Coopers & Lybrand, a position he held for nearly the rest of his life. She was always at his side, his "partner." When Tom became a board member of the National Association of Accountants, she hosted gatherings in Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and around the country, etc. They were regarded as an optimistic and friendly team.

Tom passed away in 1991. In time, at a Cleveland Orchestra concert, she became fond of the man sitting next to her: Sidney Gold , who had recently lost his wife. The family likes to think Tom and Rosalie had a hand in what followed.

On July 13, 1996, they were married. Chagrin Falls was their home. It was a fun time for them. At 58, she began to ride with Sidney on his motorcycle, traveling the backroads of Ohio. They would resettle in Naples, Florida in 2002. The highlights of those years were time with friends, old and new, family visits and travel. In 2023, they returned to Ohio, Columbus this time, the home of Tom Jr. and Beth.

Travel meant a lot to Jan. Raising her boys, she and Tom covered a great deal of the country, beginning with annual visits to Williamsburg and a cherished vacation in Hawaii. She was a proud American and loved American history. Tom and Jan enjoyed experiencing European culture and took each of the boys on separate trips there.

That love of history grew even deeper in life with Sidney with more time for reading and travel. The excitement of travel added the thrill of cruises, of which there were many.

She was an avid reader and would listen to books when her eyes failed her, almost to the end. No surprise, she was a wiz on the final question on Jeopardy.

She was a generous woman, contributing to a wide variety of individuals, charities and organizations, both at home and abroad, and sometimes anonymously. At Ursuline, she established the Thomas J. and Katherine M. O'Reilly Endowed Scholarship Fund for adult women returning to college, as she had once done. The endowment honors her first husband and her mother-in-law — a woman who never had the opportunity to pursue higher education, yet possessed one of the sharpest minds Janis had ever known. Year after year, the fund offers other women the very chance Katherine never had.

Funeral arrangements by SCHOEDINGER NORTHWEST (www.schoedinger.com). Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, November 14, at 10:00 a.m. in St. Christopher Catholic Church, Columbus. A Memorial Service will be held at a later date.

Family suggests memorial contributions to the Catholic Medical Mission Board, cmmb.org.