Patrick O'Malley

PATRICK F. O'MALLEY Cedar Rapids Patrick F. O'Malley, 83, of Cedar Rapids, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2017, at his home. Visitation: 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17, at Murdoch Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Marion. Funeral Mass: 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 18, at St. Pius X Catholic Church, Cedar Rapids, conducted by Father Philip Thompson. Burial will take place at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 3, at Eastside Cemetery, Elkader, next to his wife, Dorothy. Patrick is survived by his daughter, Kate (Steve) Sanders of Cedar Rapids; son, Dan (Lisa) O'Malley of Blaine, Minn.; grandchildren, Molly Sanders of Omaha, Neb., CPL Colin (Tani) Sanders of Hawaii, and Joe O'Malley of Blaine; brother, Bill (Darlene) O'Malley of Cedar Rapids; and sister, Mary Zoll of Dubuque. He was preceded in death by his parents; wife; son, Britt; and brothers and sisters-in-law, Reg (Charlotte) O'Malley and Den (Kay) O'Malley. Pat was born Feb. 12, 1934, on the farm near Waukon, Iowa, the son of Joseph and Loretta (Connor) O'Malley. He was the youngest of five children. When he was 8, his father died, and the family moved to town. Pat graduated from St. Pat's School in Waukon in 1952. He went to work at Collins Radio in Cedar Rapids for a year and then enlisted in the Army. He was on his way to Korea when the armistice was signed and spent three fun years in Japan instead. When he returned, he went back to Collins and retired in 1992 from Rockwell International. Pat and Dorothy married in May 1957 and enjoyed 56 years of marriage before her death in 2013. They were active supporters of sporting events at Regis High School, traveling to state tournaments with busloads of fans. Pat loved sports playing and watching. He played basketball his whole life, up until a week before his death. He held the record for most points scored in a basketball game at St. Pat's for decades. Along with basketball, he played softball for many years and switched to golf later on. Pat made several trips to Ireland with his nephews, Mike and Joe Zoll. These trips were highlights of Pat's life. They golfed and drank their way across Ireland. Pat loved a party and a good laugh. He was a friend to everyone and liked to leave them laughing. He will be missed by all who knew him. Please share a memory of Patrick at www.murdochfuneralhome.com under obituaries.