Faley, John "Jack" M. January 18, 1932 - March 26, 2015
John "Jack" Faley passed away peacefully on March 26, 2015, surrounded by his family at St. Jude Hospital in Fullerton, CA.
He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Kathleen "Kay"; brother, Howard (Dorothy) Faley; daughters, Patricia (Faley) Patino and Mary Ann (Faley) Viggiano (John); sons, Michael (Mary), Timothy (Eileen), Terrence (Cindy), Daniel, James (Lisa); 16 grandchildren, John-Michael, Courtney, Colleen, Erin, Ellen, Patrick, Conor, Sean, Bridget, Nolan, Caitlyn, Kathleen, Megan, Shane, Ryan and Alison; and great-granddaughter, MoAna Grace.
He was preceded in death by his daughter, Kathleen, in 1987; parents, Mike and Marcella Faley; brother, Wayne Faley; and sisters, Eileen (Faley) Schilling and Phyllis (Faley) Purtell.
John was born in Dubuque, Iowa. He graduated high school from Loras Academy and received his Bachelor of Arts Degree from Loras College.
He met his lovely bride, Kay Waring in Dubuque, and they were married in 1955. The family moved to the Sacramento area of California in 1957, eventually settling in Orange County, CA in 1959, where they lived in Anaheim and now Placentia for the last 47 years.
Jack worked as a teacher early in his career, and then moved into sales with Glidden Paint Company. As his family grew to eventually 8 kids, Jack's career shifted to the defense industry, where he worked for several local companies before retiring after 47 years. His final position was Director of International Contracts at General Dynamics, Pomona, CA.
In retirement and throughout his life, Jack kept busy in the community with volunteer and charitable work. He was involved with St. Joseph Catholic Church and School (Placentia) as an usher, and he served on many committees throughout the parish. He donated his time and talents at Servite High School (Anaheim) and Rosary High School (Fullerton), where his sons, daughters, and many of his grandsons, and granddaughters attended. For the last 30 years, he was instrumental in the success of the CSUF-Kathleen E. Faley Special Games that enable people with disabilities to have a wonderful day of sporting events and lunch.
Jack was Irish Strong, and Irish Proud. His Irish Catholic heritage was evident in his daily life. He had tremendous faith, which gave him and those around him strength and clarity that the Lord had a plan. His Irish wit and humor were in play every day with everyone. He was often sought for counsel on complex life issues and for simple tasks, as Jack always knew the right words to say.
Jack will be remembered as a man that embodied the spirit of a saint here amongst us. No one had more class, character, integrity, kindness, compassion, loyalty, leadership, humor, intelligence, dedication, respect, and love rolled up into one of the finest gentleman you've ever met. When you met Jack, you were instantly moved, and most likely smiling as he relayed a tale or anecdote about the topic of your conversation. Jack had genuine concern for others, and if help was needed, he was the first to arrive and last to leave. Neighbors and local businesses came to rely on seeing him make his "rounds", stop to say hello, give advice, ask a favor for a charity of his, or make a purchase for a project. Everyone was important in his eyes. His ability to make others feel better after spending a little time with him was amazing and inspiring. When you shook Jack's hand, you felt the years of hard work in the calluses on his hands and you knew this was a man's man!
He built an incredible legacy in this world with his grand Irish presence. He set the bar high for every husband, father, grandfather, uncle, and friend through his faith-filled Christ like attitude. He was a dedicated husband and father, and beloved Patriarch of the Faley family. He was surrounded by his family with Irish music playing, and the recitation of the Rosary, when God took him to heaven from St. Jude's Hospital. Stories - both funny and inspiring - have been relayed for years about Jack among his family and friends. We know that his legend will continue to grow as we raise our pints, or an Irish whiskey and bid farewell to Jack Faley, and remember that he was simply the Best!
Congrats Pops, you've made the Irish comics!
Services will be held April 1, 2015 at 12:00 Noon. Rosary will begin at 12 Noon, followed by Catholic Funeral Mass at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 717 N. Bradford Ave., Placentia, CA 92870.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to 2 of Jack's favorite schools:
Rosary High School, c/o Kathleen E. Faley Memorial Scholarship Fund, 1340 N. Acacia Ave., Fullerton, CA 92831 and Servite High School, c/o Jack Faley Memorial Fund, 1952 W. La Palma Ave., Anaheim, CA 92801.
