John O’Hagan

John O’Hagan, age 94, native of Buncrana, Co. Donegal, Ireland; resident of Chicago; passed peacefully surrounded by his family; beloved husband of Elizabeth, nee O’Donnell, for over 60 years; loving father of Jim (Carol), Cathy Carroll, Sean (Kathy), Colleen (Kieran) McNally and Patrick (Michelle); proud grandpa of Weston, Colleen, Johnathon, John, Matthew, James, Brendan, Jack, Molly, Elizabeth, Ruairi and Liam; dear brother of Conn, Jim, Bill and the late Molly, Eddie, Gene, Pat, Annie, Phil and Neil; fond uncle of many nieces and nephews. Visitation Sunday, 3:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. and Monday, 9:30 a.m. until time of funeral 10:30 a.m. at Gibbons Funeral Home, 134 South York Road, (½ mile North of Saint Charles Road), Elmhurst. Mass of Christian Burial 11:30 a.m. at Saint Francis Borgia Catholic Church, Chicago. Interment Queen of Heaven Catholic Cemetery, Hillside. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Francis Borgia Catholic Church, 8033 West Addison, Chicago IL 60634 or Knights of Columbus, St. Anthony de Padua Council #1949, c/o St. Francis Borgia Catholic Church. For funeral information please call 630-832-0018 or www.gibbonsfuneralhome.com



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Comments (12)

  3. Eileen & Martin Rooney ( California )

    Johnny was one of the most calm, thoughtful and truly virtuous people I ever knew. An inspiration to all of us who knew and loved him. We knew his parents in Carva, County Donegal, themselves great people and so it goes on with his own fine family. I assume it’s hard being the son or daughter of the great man but you are a great family and thank you all for taking such great care of the great man. ( some might say there are to many greats in that sentence but I would disagree ) Eileen and I send our condolenses to all the O’Hagan family especially your Mom ( Liz ) and please let her know she is in our prayers. Every time I hear this Seamus Heaney poem, ( Heaney was rasied on a farm not to far from where Johnny ploughed his fields ) I can’t help but think of Johnny. May he Rest in Peace.

    My father worked with a horse-plough,
    His shoulders globed like a full sail strung
    Between the shafts and the furrow.
    The horse strained at his clicking tongue.

    An expert. He would set the wing
    And fit the bright steel-pointed sock.
    The sod rolled over without breaking.
    At the headrig, with a single pluck

    Of reins, the sweating team turned round
    And back into the land. His eye
    Narrowed and angled at the ground,
    Mapping the furrow exactly.

    I stumbled in his hob-nailed wake,
    Fell sometimes on the polished sod;
    Sometimes he rode me on his back
    Dipping and rising to his plod.

    I wanted to grow up and plough,
    To close one eye, stiffen my arm.
    All I ever did was follow
    In his broad shadow round the farm.

    I was a nuisance, tripping, falling,
    Yapping always. But today
    It is my father who keeps stumbling
    Behind me, and will not go away.

    Reply

    1. Cathy O'Hagan Carroll

      Martin and Eileen thank you. Dad loved spending time with you. We all have been blessed to have had daddy and shared his life stories. He has left us all a wonderful legacy xx

      Reply

  6. Michael Mellon

    Uncle John’s IRISH Eyes are smiling down upon us! Heaven has another angel! God Bless the O’Hagan family! With Love Michael and Chyrl Mellon.

    Reply

  9. Jerry Landerholm

    I had the pleasure of knowing John for many years. We worked together on the Milwaukee Railroad. What a great pipefitter
    he was and a craftsman beyond compare. He gave his all to the railroad and I believe he loved most of the time he spent
    there. When I began my career on the Milwaukee, I was working at Savanna, IL. My boss at that location often referred to “Johnny”
    O’Hagan as being one of the most competent railroad shop men that he had ever supervised. When I transferred to Bensenville,
    I met the famous Johnny O’Hagan and I wasn’t disappointed. I later became a supervisor and though I was John’s boss, he needed
    no boss. He took me under his wing and taught me much about the intricacies of keeping the Diesel House operating. It was indeed
    a pleasure to have John as coworker. It has been several years since I last had contact with him. I am so happy that he had a great
    long life. He deserved it. Needless to say, I was very sad to read that he had passed. There are several railroad guys who
    are better men because we had the opportunity to work with John O’Hagen. HIs family can be very proud of him and the legacy
    he created at the Milwaukee Road. They don’t make many John O’Hagans! I feel blessed that I knew him.

    Reply

    2. Colleen McNally

      Jerry thank you for your kind words about our dad, John O’Hagan. He was so proud to be a part of the Milwaukee Railroad family and had a great fondness and shared his memories with us about his coworkers there right up until the end. Thank you for sharing your memories of Johnny with us. He was a very humble man, so it is a real gift to us to learn about how much he meant to others. He had a long fulfilled life and a very peaceful passing.
      Thank you again for taking the time to remember.
      God Bless
      The O’Hagans

      Reply

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