Edwin Vincent O'Hara Sr.

The brief hospitalization followed a years-long struggle with chronic illnesses during which he received daily and nightly loving care from his wife Jane and sons, Edwin Jr. and Shawn who both per Ed's doctor gave him unmatched care.

Ed was born in Butte, MT, on August 8, 1941, and named after his great uncle, the late Archbishop Edwin V. O’Hara, a larger-than-life presence in the O’Hara family and one of the most significant American Catholic bishops in the first half of the 20th Century.

As a diocesan priest, the archbishop was instrumental in passing and implementing the first minimum-wage law for women in Oregon in 1913 and then successfully fought efforts by the Ku Klux Klan to outlaw parochial schools in Oregon. O’Hara went on to found the Catholic Rural Life Conference and the Catholic Biblical Association, champion liturgical reforms well before Vatican II, and lead on civil rights, building Queen of the World Hospital in Kansas City, MO, the first integrated hospital in that city.

So, it was not a surprise that Ed spent his life, living up to his namesake, but doing so in his own inimitable way.

He was ordained a priest in Kansas City, MO, on May 14, 1966, but took a leave of absence in 1968, deciding to take his priesthood into the world. It was then that he met in Detroit the love of his life, Jane Hallo, her seven children – Beth, Eddie Jr., John, Carol, Patty, Angie, and Matt – and Jane’s sister Winnie, always ready with a smile and a question.

Ed and Jane were married on Nov. 22, 1974, and their sons Edwin Jr. and Shawn were born in December 1975.

In Detroit, Ed traded his sedan for a Ford van large enough for the whole family and his love of road trips, from camping in Michigan to vacations in Tennessee to visit his parents and camp in state parks there.

In 1984, Ed and Jane decided to take a real road trip and move their family to Placentia, CA, where Ed would launch his financial advising business and Jane was able to maintain her telephone company career.

Even a four-bedroom house was not large enough, and so a camper in the driveway provided the needed space…and the promise of more road trips.

While “building his book” of business, Ed became deeply involved in the Placentia community. A devoted Rotarian, he became president of the Placentia Rotary Club in 1990-91. Seeing the good work and opportunities provided by My Day Counts for the developmentally disabled like his sister-in-law Winnie, Ed became involved with its board, serving as chairman from 2012-2015.

From 1986 to his passing, Ed was a proud Knight of Columbus, Council 4018 in Fullerton, holding numerous offices including Grand Knight from 1999 to 2000.

Ed and Jane also centered their lives around their parish, St. Joseph’s, where Jane sang in the choir, and there was always a welcome mat at their house for the parish priests and other local clergy, who were often surprised to learn Ed’s back story over time.

Throughout these California years, time was always made for Ed’s beloved road trips, with the driveway camper eventually replaced by a small motor home. From Pacific coast campgrounds to the coastal mountains, Ed was at home on the road.

Ed is survived by his wife Jane; children Elizabeth Hallo, Carol Allen, Patricia Umphres, Edward Hallo, John Hallo, Matthew Hallo, Edwin O'Hara II and Shawn O'Hara; seven grandchildren and six great grandchildren; and, brother Jim O’Hara of Nashville, TN. He was pre-deceased by his daughter Angela Hallo McCamey and his dearly loved sister, Bobbie O’Hara Schmitt of Milwaukee, who was born on his first birthday and whom he considered the best birthday gift ever.