Norma Theresa O’Reilly

SOUTH PORTLAND – Norma Theresa O’Reilly passed away peacefully, surrounded by the love of family on Nov. 28, 2023. She was born on Jan. 4, 1932, the daughter of John A. and Laura P. (Corey) McGlinn of Caribou, she was the third of seven children. Raised on her family’s Aroostook County potato farm, she learned the value of hard work and commitment. Feeling a call to become a nurse, she traveled to Portland to attend training at Mercy Hospital.

It was there that she met Charles “Chuck” O’Reilly of South Portland, who was a student at the Maine Maritime Academy. The couple married in 1954 and spent the following 32 years relocating to various Naval duty stations. Norfolk, Va., Honolulu, Hawaii, San Francisco, Calif. and Naples, Italy were among the many locations where Norma created warm and loving homes for her family. Since Chuck’s deployments were many and often long, Norma assumed the role of “manager in chief” raising five children, while employed in a variety of nursing roles, often among the underserved.

Norma and Chuck retired and relocated to their beloved Maine in 1988, settling in South Portland where she spent many happy years boating, gardening, cherishing visits from grandchildren and spending time with friends.

Norma is survived by three daughters, Colleen M. O’Reilly of South Portland, Patricia A. O’Reilly-Zandes (Tim) of Stonybrook, NY, and Erin T. O’Reilly of Bolinas, Calif., and one son, John V. O’Reilly (Donna) of Virginia Beach, Va. There are six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Her surviving siblings include Evelyn Rutherford of Caribou, Dale McGlinn (Martha), also of Caribou, and Joan Carrier of Charleston, SC; along with her brother-in-law, John R. O’Reilly (Maureen) of Sedgwick, and her sisters-in-law, Patricia A. Clifford of Topsham and Amy McGlinn of Caribou. Norma also enjoyed numerous nephews and nieces.

Norma was predeceased by her husband, Capt. Charles W. O’Reilly in October of 2022 and her first-born son, Michael C. O’Reilly in March of 2012.

Her life will be celebrated with an 11:00 a.m. funeral Mass on Dec. 9, 2023, at Holy Cross Catholic Church in South Portland. She will be laid to rest next to her beloved husband at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery on Mount Vernon Road in Augusta in a private ceremony.

In lieu of flowers,

please send any memorial donations to:

the Sisters of Mercy

966 Riverside Drive

Portland, ME 04103