Michael O'Hara

Michael D. O?Hara, 46, passed away Thursday, March 29. O?Hara succumbed to cancer, after a very brief illness. His immediate family includes his wife Diane and three children. Mike was more than just a senior executive at Thomson (RCA.) He was a loving husband, devoted father, and a friend to many. He was personally devoted to several organizations, serving as a board member of the Central Indiana Community Partnership and investing much of his resources in Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church and St. Theodore Guerin Catholic High School. Mike served on the Development Board of the Guerin Executive Council. Reared and schooled in New Jersey, Mike graduated with a degree in marketing from Montclair State University in 1982 and earned a master?s degree in business administration with a concentration in finance from Fairleigh Dickinson University in 1984. Starting first with General Electric?s audio business, Mike came to Thomson with the company?s acquisition of the GE and RCA consumer businesses in 1987. Mike sold electronics in New York, managed global audio product activities, and moved to Indianapolis in 1992 when Thomson began work on the first high-power dir...[more]

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-to-home satellite system that was then in development with newly-formed DIRECTV. O?Hara?s biggest success in the electronics industry was the phenomenal introduction of the mini-dish digital satellite system that quickly became the most successful consumer electronics product ever launched, eclipsed later only by sales of DVD players. In January of 2000, Mike was named Executive Vice President of Worldwide Sales and Marketing for Thomson?s TV, A/V, Accessories, and Communications businesses, a $3 billion enterprise with 10,000 employees. After 24 years of service, Mike left Thomson last year to form Summus Ventures, a consulting firm based in Indianapolis. Mike was a reluctant Hoosier, born and bred on the east coast and an ardent fan of all New York sports teams. He only came here figuring he wouldn?t be staying very long. However, Mike and Diane started their family in Indianapolis. Soon he was also cheering on the Indianapolis Colts and Indiana Pacers (where he would wear New York Knicks colors and be taunted by fellow Pacers fans.) In addition to wife Diane and three children, Mike is survived by his sister Judith and mother Mary. Calling will be Sunday, April 1 from 1:00PM to 5:00PM at Leppert Mortuary, Smith Carmel Chapel, 900 N. Rangeline Road, Carmel. A Mass of Christian Burial will be conducted at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church in Carmel on Monday, April 2, at 10:00AM. Burial will follow immediately at Our Lady of Peace Catholic Cemetery in Indianapolis. Memorial contributions may be made in Mike?s honor to St. Theodore Guerin High School, 15300 North Gray Road, Noblesville, Indiana 46062 (please indicate Michael O?Hara on the memo line.) Please visit www.leppertmortuary.com to sign Michael?s guestbook, order flowers, or make memorial contributions.