Thomas Reilly

Thomas W. Reilly, 91, a real estate mortgage investment banking pioneer and rancher passed away on June 5th in an automobile accident. Memorial Service - 10:00 AM, Saturday, June 13, 2009 at Our Lady of the Lourdes Catholic Church in Mineral Wells, Texas. Tom has been laid to rest in the Reilly Family Cemetery at the Reilly TT Ranch, Palo Pinto County, Texas. Honorary Bearers will be Tom's grandchildren; Amber Allison of Seattle, Washington, Mandy Allison of Salt Lake City, Utah, Colin Reilly of Aledo, Texas, Atlee Reilly of St. Paul Minnesota, Asher Reilly of San Antonio, Texas, Anson Reilly of New York, New York, Austin Reilly of Ft. Worth, Texas, Axton Reilly of Sewanee, Tennessee, Reilly Anderson of Portland, Oregon, Kate Anderson of St. Louis, Missouri, Hannah Anderson of Eugene, Oregon; great grandchildren Amelia and Edward Carson of Salt Lake City; and the fishing gang, Eddie Talbert, Ken Tarlton, Ira Mercer, Kevin Cross, Dwain Eaton, Mike Sudderth, David Turk of Mineral Wells, Bob Anderson of Brownsville, Oregon, and Will Allison, deceased. Memorials: Contributions may be made to Our Lady of the Lourdes Catholic Church, 108 NW 4th Avenue, Mineral Wells, Texas 76067, Meals on Wheels of Palo Pinto County at 301 NW 1st, Mineral Wells, Texas 76067, or the charity of your choice. The family would enjoy having stories of experiences with Tom to share with his descendents. These may be sent to Reilly Bros. Property Company, 1017 FM Road 5, Aledo, Texas 76008 or emailed to mike.reilly@reillybrothers.com. Thomas William Reilly Jr. was born in Newark, New Jersey on July 14th, 1918, the oldest of nine children. He attended Fordham University and Seton Hall, was a lieutenant commander in the United States Navy, a pilot and decorated veteran of combat duty in both the Atlantic and the Pacific during World War II. He married Alma Margaret Cox, "Teenie," of Beeville, Texas in Miami, Florida on February 25, 1943. She preceded him in death. At the conclusion of the war, Tom and Teenie moved to Ft. Worth, Texas where Tom worked for American Airlines. When Tom met Thomas M. Ryan of Ft. Worth while trying to buy a house in 1946, Mr. Ryan asked him to run his fledgling mortgage company. Tom was president of Ryan Mortgage Company for 33 years. He retired from the mortgage banking business and began a ranching career on his Reilly Double TT Ranch in Palo Pinto County where he was active until his death. Tom and Ryan Mortgage developed thousands of acres of residential subdivisions throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area that included Parkway Central, Parkway North, and Woodland West in the city of Arlington. Tom was a founding director of Seminary State Bank of Ft. Worth and Burleson State Bank, and served as a director of Waples Platter Company, First Life Insurance Company, and Ryan Mortgage Company. When he moved to Mineral Wells to begin his ranching career, Tom became a member of the Palo Pinto County Sheriff's Posse. As successful a businessman and rancher as he was, Tom was an even more accomplished outdoorsman. From a fly fishing champion as a youngster in New Jersey to the best bass fisherman amongst his "peers" in Texas at age 91, Tom always excelled in his fishing and hunting pursuits. He taught all of his children, their spouses, and his grandchildren how to fly fish during their 33 years of annual summer reunions in Colorado. Through these gatherings in the mountains of Colorado, on the ranch, and at Possum Kingdom Lake, he shared his fishing, hunting, water skiing, boating and other skills with his family and friends. He also loved dogs and trained a good many bird dogs during his rich and full life. Survivors include his four children, Diana Allison of Ogden, Utah, Thomas W. Reilly III and his wife Marcy of Aledo, Texas, Michael A. Reilly and his wife Beverly of Aledo, Texas, and Cynthia Anderson and her husband Robert of Brownsville, Oregon, siblings, James Reilly, Jane Ludek, and Katherine McCabe of New Jersey, eleven grandchildren, two step grandchildren, and two great grandchildren.