Charles W “Chaz” Reilly of Clearwater FL passed away peacefully 04.10.2022 at the age of 61. Chaz was born 11.05.1960 in Chicago IL and moved to FL in the early 80's & lived the majority of his life in Palm Harbor FL. He was retired from the home building industry. Chaz is survived by his devoted sister, Benita M “Boni” Reilly Kalecki (David Aiello), his cousin Steve Kostakis (Elaine), his mother Barbara Hyrkas (Dan) and siblings Derek Hyrkas (Lisa), Tiffany Hyrkas Jumbeck (Jeromy) and Brett Hyrkas (Heather). Extended family of Nieces and Nephews. He is predeceased by his father Ronald W Reilly & stepmother Billie A Reilly, his adopted mom Gloria M Reilly, his sister KellieAnn M Reilly and his brother Tony Hyrkas.
Although Chaz was born & raised in Chicago, he moved down to the west coast of FL at the behest of his sister Boni who said "c'mon down to sunny FL, you'll love it!" And he did!
Soon after arriving in FL, Chaz started working for a framing construction company. He found his career niche in construction and thrived in it. It was not long after learning this trade Chaz opened his own company, Reilly Frame & Trim which was quite successful.
It was around this time Chaz married Debbie & became stepfather to her young son Dustin. Chaz loved the role of stepdad and hoped to have demonstrated & instilled his own strength of character in Dustin's young formative years during the brief marriage.
Chaz had become very accomplished and successful in the home construction business and ultimately was hired as a Superintendent for Mark Maconi Homes, a luxury home builder in Palm Harbor FL. Chaz supervised the home builds with the utmost professionalism and meticulous attention to detail for which he was known. The homeowners trusted Chaz to their new build knowing it would be taken care of as if it was Chaz' own home, not just another job site.
It was at this newer phase of life that Chaz met Lisa & with her he realized how very much he liked Italian food, amongst many other interests, and certainly was very fond of Lisa's mom's "gravy" and all things New York City. When on one occasion a visit to NYC, Chaz played tourist & ultimately walked the Brooklyn Bridge by himself, just because he could. Although Lisa & Chaz eventually parted ways, through the years they remained close and Chaz adored Lisa's daughter Rissa.
Chaz enjoyed his relaxing down time & loved everything music from classic rock to alternative to blues. He enjoyed live concerts and went to many in the 90s including his ultimate favourite David Bowie, Pink Floyd, The Who, Neil Young. Paul McCartney, and more. His saved concert ticket stubs tells of this. His collection of music albums has always been extensive since his teenage years, and of course all in alpha order.
He loved putting puzzles together, and we're talking challenging 2000 to 5000 pieces! Something he shared with his stepmother years ago and then together with his step son. One of his favorites is a Coca Cola puzzle that he had glazed and framed.
He loved classic cars, including collecting many Franklin Mint diecast cars for which was a hobby shared by his father. Chaz also inherited from his father strong passion for Harley Davidson motorcycles and his favorite was his Harley V-Rod which he customized with multiple chrome enhancements. Boy did that bike shine & roar with Chaz in seat in his jean jacket or leather & blue mirrored sunglasses! Rarely was Chaz without his Revos sunglasses!
Amongst Chaz' other collections were many Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley memorabilia.
Chaz skydived with his cousin Steve and he scuba dived too. He did some golfing, shoot pool & loved to play chess and was really quite a formidable player, his competitive streak. Later years he favored playing cornhole hole while living at his residence, The Oaks of Clearwater and won lots of "oak$ buck$"
Chaz loved a good cold beer with Yeungling being a favorite. He also enjoyed a glass of Clos du Bois wine with a rare steak, or his favorite carbonated pop, Coca Cola on a hot day. And not to forget his huge passion for chocolate such as butterfingers or reese's to name a few.
Chaz was a kind and loving man with a most generous heart who would do anything for you without questions asked. He was very sentimental, sensitive & protective to his family and fiercely loyal to those he loved. He treated everyone the same, no matter title, money, or otherwise. He was an extremely supportive loving brother and friend. He was exacting and meticulous in everything he did & would had loved the attention to detail his sister put in place for sharing his life story celebration.
Share with us, fun stories and a toast to Chaz' life on earth for now he rests in heaven and and one day he will greet us with that smile under his shades!
A Life Celebration service is scheduled for Saturday 06.04.2022 from 12-3pm at Serenity Gardens Funeral Home & Memorial Park Largo FL. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Chaz' Life Story in an uplifting remembrance. The family asks that you not to morn & wear black but to share your stories & wear Chaz favorite color - blue.
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