George Declan O'Reilly

May 11, 2000. George passed away on March 27, 2023. He was a talented athlete and musician, having swum for four years on his high school’s varsity swim team as well as JMU’s club swim team, playing trumpet for nearly a decade, and competing in his high school’s marching band. He graduated with honors from Mountain View High School in 2018 and James Madison University in 2022. George was part of JMU’s Army ROTC program and went on to become 2nd Lieutenant of the Battalion Maintenance Officer and Maintenance Platoon leader for Echo Forward Support Company of the 40th Brigade Engineer Battalion, in the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, Texas.

George completed his bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and maintained a passion for service and honor. Among his family and friends, George was known best for his unwavering kindness and selflessness. George was a friend to everyone he met, including the many animals that he rescued or kept as pets. In his free time, he loved to weight-lift and go running, leading him to compete in many long-distance races. George worked as a lifeguard and lawn-care worker for many years, hoping one day to have his own grounds keeping business. Some of his hobbies included playing cards and video games with his loved ones, cheering for the Washington Commanders, watching anime (especially One Piece and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure), reading any book he could get his hands on, and cooking (far better than any of the O’Reilly siblings). George was known for going out of his way to help anyone in need. He will be remembered for his thoughtfulness, strength, dedication, and kindness. In remembrance of his Catholic background, a funeral mass will be held at St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church in Fredericksburg, Virginia on April 11th, 2023 at 10:30 A.M. Any and all are invited to celebrate the incredible life of one of the greatest men of this century: George Declan O’Reilly.

He was a beloved son, brother, uncle, officer, and friend. He is survived by his parents, Shawn and Jessica O’Reilly (59 and 48 years) of Fredericksburg, VA; three sisters, Flora Kessler (29) of Fredericksburg, VA, Gina O’Reilly (24) of Boston, MA, and Macy O’Reilly (19) of Charlottesville, VA; two brothers, John O’Reilly (20) of San Francisco, CA and Henry O’Reilly (16) of Fredericksburg, VA; his only nephew, Killian O’Reilly (9) of Fredericksburg, VA; and his grandparents, Patrick Bolger (73) of Fredericksburg, VA, and Madeline O’Reilly (81) of Spotsylvania, VA.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.mullinsthompsonfredericksburg.com for the O'Reilly family.