John Herlihy

John Daniel Herlihy Jr., 91, of Allen Avenue, died on Sunday, Oct. 29, 2017. He is survived by his loving wife of 62 years, Barbara Stark Herlihy, and their eight children: Christie (and William Starr) of Marlborough, MA; Mary (and Roberto Roca) of Madrid, Spain; John (and Amy Jones) Herlihy of Houston, TX; Joseph Herlihy of Chillicothe; Barbara (and Kenneth Johnson) of Rocky Face, GA; Jeanne Herlihy of Columbus; James (and Kim Weber) Herlihy of Columbus; and David (and Leah Haney) Herlihy of San Pedro, CA. He is survived by 24 grandchildren: Jason (and Keira Sheehan), James (and Elizabeth Jones), Jon and Julia Starr; Natalia, Anne and Santiago Roca; John Daniel, Elizabeth and Caitlin Herlihy; Joseph, Michael and Isaac Herlihy; Sarah, Katherine and Kenneth Johnson; John, Margaret, Mary and Molly Herlihy; Lucy, Elizabeth, David Jr., and Katherine Herlihy; and great-granddaughter Kelsey Starr. He is also survived by his sister Judy H. Benson, several nieces and nephews, and great-nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents, his sister Martha H. Schinkle, two nephews and a niece.   John was born January 24, 1926 in Chillicothe, the only son of three children born to John and Myrtle Griesheimer Herlihy. A 1943 graduate of Chillicothe High School, he received an Appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, MD. He graduated in 1948 and completed naval aviator training in Pensacola, FL. He was very proud of his Navy service, and especially of his experiences flying the F2H Banshee fighter-jet off aircraft carriers.   Following his service in the Navy, John returned to Chillicothe and married Barbara Stark on January 15, 1955 in St. Peter Church. While he and Barbara raised their eight children, John also ran his family's moving business, Herlihy Moving & Storage, where he had spent many days working as a young man. The company has had a long-time affiliation with Mayflower Transit Co. and is well-known in southern Ohio, collecting many honors in its decades of operation under John's leadership. John eventually retired and passed the family business on to two of his sons.   Dedicated to Chillicothe, his record of community service spans nearly 50 years. He was an active member of Rotary and the Chamber of Commerce. He served on boards to build the YMCA, restore the Lucy Webb Hayes House, fundraise for the construction of the Chief Logan Boy Scout Reservation, and develop the Ohio University-Chillicothe campus. As President of the Great Seal Recreation Association, he envisioned and implemented a plan to convert flood-plain acreage into the soccer and baseball fields of Yoctangee Park Annex.   He loved life and being with his wife and family, and was fond in his younger days of taking his children on tractor rides to Adena, canoeing Rocky Fork Creek, sailing on Rocky Fork Lake, hiking to Yaple's Orchard and enjoying an occasional Crispie Creme donut. He enjoyed being with people, telling stories particularly of his Navy days, and greeting everyone he met with warmth and a twinkle of Irish humor. He was a faithful and active parishioner of St. Mary's.   Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11am, Saturday, November 4, at St. Mary Catholic Church, Rev. Lawrence Hummer and Rev. William Hahn, Celebrants. Burial will follow in St. Margaret Cemetery. Friends may call from 5-7:30pm Friday at Haller Funeral Home & Crematory, where a wake service will be held at 7:30.   In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Bishop Flaget School, St. Vincent DePaul Society, or a charity of the donor's choice.
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