Alan Reilly
Alan E. Reilly, 54, uplifted the homeless
November 26, 1951 - October 14, 2006
Thursday, October 19, 2006
BY ROBERT E. MISSECK
Star-Ledger Staff
Alan E. Reilly was a tireless source of support and caring for the homeless and his fellow Vietnam veterans. He would often go out in snowstorms, searching for those who lived on the streets, and would bring them food, said his wife, Paulette Tara Reilly.
"He knew the name of every homeless person in Kearny, Harrison and East Newark, and he knew where they slept at night so he could bring them hot food," she said.
On Oct. 14, the 54-year-old self-employed silk screen artist and independent graphic designer succumbed to a heart attack while on a train near 14th Street in New York City, Reilly said.
She remembered her husband as a man who respected everyone, especially those who could not help themselves or were having a hard time.
"While others may have despised them, Alan saw the homeless as people who were just as worthy as anybody else of respect and compassion. He saw their burdens and their pain and he saw them as human beings," she said. Born and raised in Cranford, Mr. Reilly lived with his wife in Harrison for the past 15 years.
He was the second oldest of five children, said his mother, Joan Reilly. "My best memory of him is that whenever he would come for a visit, no matter who was here, he would say, 'I have to find mom and give her a big hug,' and I would get a big hug," she said.
Mr. Reilly received an associate's degree from Bergen County College in graphic design and was attending Chubb Institute for computer science. He was going to become a Web master.
Mr. Reilly was also a longtime volunteer at the Garretson Forge and Farm in Fair Lawn, which is owned by Bergen County and administered by volunteers. One of the most important missions of the farm is raising heirloom and garden crops for local food pantries.
"Alan had a wry sense of humor and a deep compassion for those of us who are
on this planet," said Patricia Idone, president of the nonprofit group. "He and his wife were responsible for restoring and maintaining our children's garden, which had fallen into disarray," she said.
April Barth, a past president and current first vice president of the group, said Mr. Reilly also developed an irrigation system for the farm's gardens. "This was critically important for us to be able to continue to provide vegetables to the food pantries," she said.
His family said Mr. Reilly was an Army veteran of the Vietnam War, during
which he served as a helicopter repairman.
When he returned home from the war, Mr. Reilly became active in Vietnam Veterans groups and was a member of the Vietnam Veterans Against The War, Veterans for Peace and the Jersey City Vietnam Veterans Memorial Committee. "Alan was a person who was doing everything he could to make this a better world," said David Cline of Veterans for Peace and a longtime friend. "We used to bring together as many homeless veterans as we could find in Newark, give them a hot meal and then bring them together with representatives of various service organizations," Cline said.
"They would follow him and when he got home he would be taking them out of
his coat pockets," she said.
Mr. Reilly's wife remembered back a few Christmases ago when her husband found a kitten cowering by the tire of a parked car on a snowy street near their apartment.
"I said to myself, we are going to have another cat. Sure enough, we brought it home," she said.
Her husband's compassion also was illustrated when he rescued two cats that were stricken with feline infectious anemia and took care of them until their quality of life deteriorated.
"In my eyes, he was a saint," Paulette Reilly said.
In addition to his wife, mother and sister, Mr. Reilly also is survived by his father, Wendell, and brothers Gregg A., Drew W. and Warren C. Reilly. Services will be held today at 11 a.m. in The Dooley Funeral Home, 218 North Ave. West, Cranford. Interment will follow in Fairview Cemetery in Westfield.
Donations may be made in his memory to Garretson Forge and Farm Restoration
Inc., 4092 River Road, Fair Lawn, N.J. 07410.
Robert E. Misseck covers Union County. He may be reached at rmisseck@starledger.com or (908) 302-1507.
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