"Praying for you all as you celebrate Pat's life. Jay Dee and Kristi Denton (Flower Mound Friends of Carol and Jeff)"
In loving memory of
Patrick W. "Pat" O'Gara
September 23, 1962 - December 23, 2013
Patrick William "Pat" O'Gara, age 51, passed away on Monday, December 23rd, 2013, at Agrace HospiceCare, following a courageous battle with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease).
He was born on September 23, 1962, in Scottsdale, AZ, the son of Thomas A. and Julianne (McEntee) O'Gara. In 1981, he graduated from Edgewood High School, where he excelled in basketball and football. He received a football scholarship to Bowling Green University. He graduated from UW Madison. After college, Pat moved to Atlanta where he worked in sales. He returned to Madison in 1994 to work with his father at O'Gara Publishing. He led the company, growing it exponentially, taking it over in 2001. He successfully expanded the business from one small publication to several monthly publications as well as Expos in the Dane County area.
Pat loved golf, documentaries, butter, discussing politics, mayonnaise, spending time with his son and wife, family dinners, old movies, pink shirts, comedian Jim Gaffigan, and watching the Badgers or Packers while dearly holding his favorite "pillow." Pat was humble, honest, extremely generous, and made a positive impact on this community as well as the lives of many individuals.
Pat is survived by mother Julie of Madison; his wife Lisa (O'Brien); son Patrick of Verona, stepchildren Maria Moore and Rebecca Holder of Atlanta, GA, Jonathan Moore of Sterling, CO; all children of Debra Paris, Atlanta, GA; sisters Mary of Verona and Carol (Jeff) Kuzniar of Flower Mound, TX; brothers Thomas "Tim" of Portland, OR, Chris (Christy) of Litchfield Park, AZ, Michael (Betsy) of Portland, OR, and Terry (Christina) of Playa Del Rey, CA; as well as many nieces, nephews and other relatives. His father, Tom, preceded Pat in death.
The family extends a big thank you to the staff of Agrace HospiceCare for their compassion and support, as well as the extraordinary service provided byWillow Pharmacy. Additionally, we would like to bestow special thanks to sister Mary, for her selfless dedication to Pat, through the progressive stages of ALS.
A Memorial Mass will be held at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, 602 Everglade Dr., Madison, on Friday, January 3rd, 2014, at 11 am with Father Bart Timmerman presiding. A visitation will begin at 9 am until the time of service.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Edgewood High School c/o The Pat O'Gara Scholarship Fund, ALS Milwaukee Chapter or Agrace HospiceCare.
Cress-Speedway
Tributes
"Pat we will miss you. Fellow Class of 81 grads"
"you had our packer back pat. thanks."
"My heart aches because of the loss of Pat, but I find comfort knowing he is in a better place and that he changed my life for the better by knowing him. Pat was my mentor and friend. He believed in and encouraged me as both an employer and friend. Because Pat believed in me and gave me the opportunity to work for him for 10 years at Wisconsin Woman, my life was dramatically changed for the better. I think of all the people I know and how many people Pat connected me with and I realize even more how truly blessed I am to have had Pat as a boss, mentor and friend. I have so many great memories and experiences shared with Pat but the things I will remember him by is his willingness to believe in me and the comfort I felt when I spent time with him. His advise humor genorosity and sincerety will be truly missed. I pray for great comfort to all he left behind. Thank you Pat for being my biggesr cheerleader and friend. Love Amy"
"I stayed in email touch with Pat during earlier stages of this horrible disease. I would ask how he was doing and he was very open and honest. He counted his blessings and he really appreciated the help and support he received, from his sister Mary, and others. I had a professional relationship with Pat when he was publishing local publciations and our friendship grew from there. He was always good at giving sincere compliments. He was Mr. Nice Guy, with a big smile.. "
"From Edgewood to Wayside we love you Pat. We love you LIsa. Jim & Lori "
"Pat, you were a gem. Eternally optimistic. I am glad you are free from such a challenging disease, but I am sad that we have lost such a good man. "
"Pat was such a great guy. He was very generous and caring. He was very good to my son who, as a friend of his son Pat, spent a lot of time at Pats house. He helped me out at a low point by offering me a job. I got to work for and with him for just one year but I learned a lot from him during that time. We often shared our concerns about our sons, laughed at their antics and rejoiced at each of their successes. We will all miss him."