John Walter O’Mara, 87, passed away peacefully on Nov 17, 2025 after steadfastly fighting Parkinson's Disease until his last days. John was born in Jersey City, NJ, to Edward and Margaret O’Mara on March 27, 1938 and attended St. Peter’s Prep (‘56). John received a Bachelors of Arts degree from the College of the Holy Cross ('60), where he was an Accounting major and a member of the ROTC. After graduation, John was commissioned as an officer in the United States Navy, serving until 1962 when he began as a law student at Fordham Law School (later serving in the Naval Reserve for many years). While studying at Fordham, John met Beth at a holiday party and they were instantly smitten. They were married on August 7, 1965 (according to John this was so that the date would be easy to remember “8-7-6-5”), the same year John passed the bar and began practicing law. At this time, John introduced Beth to his great love of the opera and their ongoing subscriptions to the Metropolitan Opera gave them much pleasure. 

John and Beth had three daughters, Tracy, Carolyn, and Peg, and raised them primarily in Rumson, NJ. Their home was warm and welcoming and John was always a favorite of the girls’ friends. John offered his time and talents to numerous civic organizations and boards. He was a faithful Catholic parishioner wherever he lived and a daily communicant for many years. 

John was a big idea guy who conjured up plans and projects that ranged from innovative (a homemade bubbler system for the dock he built) to entrepreneurial (getting licensed to sell Hover Crafts for a seamless transition from water to land travel) to outlandish (building a clay tennis court in the back yard essentially by himself). He was one-of-a-kind who fished in the ocean of his beloved Block Island, RI with a spear gun, taught himself with a book aptly titled “How to Sail” (and then sailed multiple times from NJ to Block Island over the course of days with unwitting friends and family), was always looking for a good chess game, and consistently had a best friend by his side (shout out to his canine companions: Pal, Casey, Molson, Ginger, Reilly, and Teddy). He accomplished much and hit real bumps along the way. Through it all he persevered, he pivoted, he invented, and always charted his own path.  

John was an outstanding grandfather. Pop Pop loved each of his ten grandchildren absolutely. He was delighted to drive them to school, to teach them to swim, to have them help him build something, or to hold them in his lap as he read them a book. Their lives, along with the lives of his children and loving wife, were truly enriched by him. They will miss him dearly. 

John is survived by his wife, Beth (nee Graham); daughters Tracy Spesia (David), Carolyn O’Mara, and Peg Sullivan; special niece Meliss Brennan; grandchildren Beth Muench (Nick), Frank Spesia (Ivette), Meg Spesia, Tim Spesia, Tess Spesia, Mara Booth, Lucy Booth, Ellie Sullivan, Caroline Sullivan, Kate Sullivan; and great-grandchildren Ramona and Frances Muench as well as numerous nieces and nephews. 

John was preceded in death by his parents, Senator Edward and Margaret O’Mara, and siblings Peg Dooley, Eileen Brennan, Edward O’Mara Jr., Catherine Mindnich, and Tom O’Mara. 

A funeral mass will be offered at Our Lady of Fatima (Wilton, CT) on Tuesday, Nov 25th, 9:30. Interment will follow at Hillside Cemetery. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to The Parkinson’s Foundation in John’s name.