Dan Reilly was born in Buffalo, New York on May 21, 1920. He lived in Buffalo until 1928, then
Erie, Pennsylvania until 1937, and finally Cleveland, Ohio until 1940.
Dan served in the Army Air Force during World War II, stationed in England. While in the service he
had an opportunity to study conversational French and to use it during a quick two-day trip to France
in May of 1945. Dan had studied German in high school and spoke it at home with his German-American
mother and his wife Marion spoke French.
After returning home, he went to DePaul University on the G. I. bill, earning his college degree in
Modern Languages (French major with minors in English, Spanish and Education). He worked in the steel
mills for 37 years, teaching apprentices in the field of instrumentation and automatic control, and
retired as a foreman at the age of 57.
Dan was also a substitute teacher at twenty-six elementary schools in the Chicago Archdiocese until
1985. From 1985 until the late 1990’s he confined his teaching to two parish schools in Blue Island
as well as nearby Marist High School.
Dan and his wife Marion have lived in Blue Island, Illinois (a south/southwest suburb of Chicago)
since 1947 and they celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in May 2002. They have nine children,
33 grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren. In 2003 he was the Grand Marshal of the Red, White,
and Blue Island Independence Day parade, accompanied by Marion in the Grand Marshal’s open top
vehicle.
Mrs. Reilly passed away on December 10, 2006.
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